MANAGING COMMISSIONING COMMUNICATIONS


and third-parties should always take time to gain a complete understanding of what the CCG is trying to achieve. “This makes the brand creation a more accurate, positive, on-message and more cost-effective process,” Hingley explains.


DO LOOKS COUNT? So how important is the visual aspect of branding? “The branding in all its forms, including logo, colours, imagery and tone of copy, forms the ethos and personality of the CCG, so is a critical element in effectively communicating key messages and creating a positive user experience,” argues Hingley. But Camilla Horwood, head of health public affairs and market access at Edelman, warns CCGs not to get too wrapped up in aesthetics. “PCTs never had a strong brand identity in their own right and I do not think it is expected that CCGs will,” she says. “What is important is how they take up and manage this new commissioning freedom/responsibility and ultimately the outcomes achieved as a result of this devolved autonomy. It is here where they need to concentrate their efforts and deliver results. Ultimately I would argue that few people care what their local CCG’s branding or logo looks like. What they care about is the quality of care and experience they encounter.”


PORTRAYING YOUR ETHOS As a publisher of two magazines in the health sector, we receive press releases from CCGs on a regular basis, publicising upcoming projects such as new service provision or building developments. Distributing PR and news stories – which more and more health providers now do – is a powerful way of getting your message across and demonstrating the progress you are making as an organisation. With so much negative PR around the NHS in the consumer press of late, it can feel as though a small-time positive news story will just be lost in the glut of exposés on NHS failures. But by targeting the right publications and pushing your story to the most relevant audience, you can begin to build on your brand and reputation. Working in partnership with media organisations in the health sector as well as charities in aid of specific conditions you can ensure you are targeting the right audience with the right information. Grant Fisher is NHS business director for Aurora Healthcare


Communications and has previously worked in communications and engagement roles in the NHS. In a recent article for Guardian Professional he talks about the changing role of PR in the NHS. “NHS organisations are now working in a world that has dramatically changed over the past 10 years, let alone since 1981, when there were only eight press officers in the whole of the NHS,” he writes. “Gone are the days when you would get your information about local services through the local media or a visit to your GP. We now have 24-hour news and online forums, driven by social media and citizen journalism. People gather the information they need from many different outlets.” This shift in how PR is both delivered and received in the health sector is why your brand needs to be as strong as possible; so that it is not lost amongst the plethora of news and information and when


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