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Header image for the current page Communications support for the Improving Elective Care Coordination for Patients (IECCP) programme

Communications support for the Improving Elective Care Coordination for Patients (IECCP) programme

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The Improving Elective Care Coordination for Patients (IECCP) programme needed to successfully recruit trusts to its pilot for a new digital technology solution which would help to reduce waiting lists and waiting times for patients.

The collaborative Communications and Engagement team from NHS Arden & GEM and NHS Midlands & Lancashire CSUs was engaged to deliver a communications strategy for the programme. Through a series of activities designed to raise the profile of IECCP and demonstrate the impact of its technology solution, 44 trusts signed up to the pilot and were successfully transitioned to the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP). The CSU support was instrumental in guiding programme leaders, capturing solution impact and generating interest from trusts.

The challenge

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to the NHS and left behind long waiting lists and waiting times for patients, exhausted staff and widening health inequalities. But responding to these challenges also brought innovation, adaptation and greater use of technology for clinical purposes. The NHS continues to harness the power of data and technology to find innovative ways to treat more patients, as efficiently as possible, and in the right order.

The IECCP programme was charged with rolling out a new digital technology solution to help trusts reduce waiting lists and enable patients to receive the treatment they need faster. Developed with clinicians at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, the Care Coordination Solution (CCS) brings information together in one place (with the right controls) to enable better, faster, more informed decisions, based on co-ordinated data.

As a non-mandatory pilot, encouraging busy trusts with competing priorities to sign up for the CCS would require support from communications and engagement experts.

Our approach

A collaborative team from NHS Arden & GEM and NHS Midlands & Lancashire CSUs was engaged to raise the profile of IECCP, demonstrate the impact of CCS and ensure trusts responded to the call to action.

Delivering the communications strategy
The team began work in April 2023 to deliver NHS England’s communications strategy which was aligned to the programme’s objectives and ensured efficient coordination of activities across available resources. Key messages and an elevator pitch enabled all areas of the programme to speak with one clear and consistent voice to effectively communicate the benefits to target trusts and stakeholders.

Providing guidance to stakeholders
The team worked collaboratively with other workstream leads to ensure that communications support was embedded across the programme. This included making their extensive external communications expertise and experience available to programme stakeholders to provide valuable guidance in a variety of situations.
Support was also provided to the Demand team to deliver targeted communications to 18 trust Chief Executives which resulted in four positive conversations.

Generating interest from trusts
Activities were planned and executed to generate leads from interested providers which could then be followed up by the programme team. These included producing case studies, informational webinars and engaging forums.

The team also led on communications and marketing for the Referral to Treatment solution – a new product which needed seven trusts to sign up within a few months. The objective was achieved and oversubscribed.

Support for piloting trusts
A communications toolkit, template communications plan and individual guidance was provided to NHS trusts adopting the programme to help them in rolling out the CCS across their organisation.

"Thanks for sharing all the content. Really helpful material we are including in our communications this week."

Eva Fiz, Deputy Director, Improvement at Barts Health NHS Trust

As a test bed for how an FDP-style solution might support the NHS, the IECCP programme helped to shape the thinking behind the procurement. The Communications and Engagement team secured seven statements of support from NHS trusts ahead of the procurement announcement for the NHS FDP. These statements were vital in highlighting the impact of the CCS.

An evaluation tacker was set up and implemented to demonstrate the ongoing impact of communications support.

Outcomes

The IECCP programme saw 44 NHS trusts sign up to the CCS. The solution is making it easier for colleagues on the ground to have the information they need to do their jobs at their fingertips and free up clinicians from administrative tasks. All 44 trusts have now successfully transitioned to the NHS FDP. The communications team has supported both the national and local transition which has also included 100 products.

The IECCP communications team became the first team to transition over to the NHS FDP programme in August 2023 and the contract for ongoing support will run until at least the end of 2024.

"The team did an excellent job of leading the communications workstream for this programme, ably navigating the complex and politically sensitive environment. By working collaboratively with other workstream leads, comms support and guidance was embedded right across the programme."

Stacy Coffin, Delivery Director, NHS England IECCP Programme

Find out more about the work of the Communications and Engagement team.