We know you are facing unprecedented demand and are working harder than ever to care for your patients.
The resources on this page have been developed by us to help you and your teams to effectively communicate with your patients.
The following materials, if used across your communication channels (including, social media, posters in waiting areas and practice websites), will help keep your patients informed and answer some queries and issues before they get to your door.
You are the most effective communicator to your patients. They know you. They trust you (a November 2020 Ipsos Mori poll on trust found that 95 per cent of the public trust nurses and 91 per cent trust doctors). Being open, accountable and human will help you connect with your patients and build your relationship, even when times are hard.
We can’t keep everyone happy all the time, but if patients are well informed, they are far less likely to become abusive or aggrieved.
We will continue to put messages out across Kent and Medway about the challenges facing primary care, how to best use the NHS, vaccinations, national campaigns, cancer, mental health and much more. You can see these easily by following our social media channels.
If you need help or advice on specific communication issues, please contact the NHS Kent and Medway communications and engagement team.
Toolkits and guides
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You may wish to create a communications and engagement plan for your practice generally. You should do this in consultation with your patient participation group (PPG) who are likely to have useful input into the types of channels suitable for your patient population.
Communications and engagement plans are critical when planning a change, whether that’s a merger, a move or a change to services.
This communication and engagement plan template gives the structure for the things you will need to consider and plan for.
Practice changes
If your practice is going through a change, a merger, a boundary change, a significant change of staff of leadership, you should communicate and engage with your patients. We have put together a practice changes toolkit to support you through some of the most common changes, which gives some tips and advice as well as some templates you can adapt to make relevant for your circumstances.
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It is critical to keep your website up-to-date and create a place where, if patients are having trouble getting through on the phone, they can go to find out what’s happening and understand if there are other ways to contact the practice (eConsult or NHS 111, for example).
It is your shop window and should, if managed correctly and kept up-to-date, help you avoid complaints. It may be the single most useful thing to help manage queries as you should be able to simply direct most people to your website.
It is helpful to have information on your home page explaining the pressures you are experiencing. Material for your website can be found in the boxes below.
Useable and accessible websites
NHS England has recently published a helpful guide for practices and PCNs on creating a useable and accessible GP website.
Website improvement project
They have also produced a national website benchmarking and improvement tool.
All practices have now had their benchmarking results, read the toolkit guide and FAQs.
Web content should be:
- short and to the point
- in plain English, no medical jargon
- well-structured and easy to find.
You should have this information clearly on the home page:
- an explanation of any challenges and any actions you are taking to address
- expected response times, in and out-of-hours
- clear link to any online consultation service or apps you use, with an explanation of what they are and how they work in your practice
- expected response times, in and out-of-hours to set expectations
- NHS 111 message.
You should also clearly display:
- most recent Covid advice and details of any vaccinations /testing
- flu vaccination details
- your contact details.
NHS England also carried out some useful user testing on general practice websites.
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Social media is where much of the conversation about your practice and your services is happening. And, if you aren’t there, you can’t be part of the conversation. It is daunting sometimes to ‘be the face’ of some of the issues, but people will always appreciate openness even when their issues can’t be solved.
If you don’t have time to run several accounts, facebook will be the most valuable. As well as starting a page, you should join local community groups. This will be where much of the conversation takes place. Some community groups will allow you to join as your page, some may not and may require you to join via a personal page. People in general will appreciate seeing a human face and it gives your practice the opportunity to dispel myths or correct some posts. If you don’t have a voice on these platforms, other people’s voices will tell your story for you.
Top tips:
- be human – show the human ‘face’ of your practice, use the first person (I, we, you) where possible and try not use jargon or technical language
- don’t be defensive
- be clear and use plain English
- use video if you are able, video from your mobile phone is fine – it doesn’t have to be professional
Some examples of good GP facebook pages:
Recording videos
Moderation
Guidance on moderating social media content
If you would like any guidance or advice on setting up or running social media accounts, please contact kmicb.engagecomms@nhs.net
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We have written web content to support messages around pressures. You can either share this page or use some or all of the wording for your own websites:
Video explaining the way general practice has changed.
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One of the best ways to tell a positive story – and certainly the best way to explain to the public – is to have a case study, from a patient’s perspective, which highlights the benefits, changes and impacts a service has on the people it is designed to help.
Once you’ve drafted something this can be used on websites,on social media channels or to send to the media. If you would like the comms team to review anything please send across to kmicb.engagecomms@nhs.net and we can review the content, give guidance on how to distribute as well as share on our channels if appropriate.
When developing any written content, it is helpful to start with the five Ws to make sure you have covered the basics. Try to answer the five Ws in the first paragraph or two:
Who, What, Why, Where, When (and also how if appropriate)
Top tips for written content
- don’t talk about your team, or your service – it doesn’t matter to the reader. Always tell the story from their perspective, appeal to what they will care about, make sure you do the ‘what’s in it for me’ test
- talk about what has happened and what you have done, as well as what is planned next
- don’t talk about strategies, but what they are trying to achieve
- put a person at the centre, if that can’t be someone affected then it could be someone running the service or involved in the development of it – make it human
- remember you will need permission to run anyone’s story -get agreement, and contact details.
You will also need a picture, again make sure you get written permission to use the image to promote the story. You can use this permission form for photographs if you don’t have one, make sure you file it and are able to match it to the photograph for GDPR and in case the user requests its removal in the future.
Campaign and communication materials
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The ‘Think Pharmacy First’ campaign will increase public awareness that pharmacists can provide some prescription medicines if needed, without seeing a GP.
Read the FAQs for healthcare professionals.
Download assets for social media.
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This toolkit has been produced to help you publicise NHS Kent and Medway Talking Therapies. It includes copy for newsletters/websites and social media posts.
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People in Kent and Medway are being asked to check their prescription medication and only order what they need to help reduce waste and save money.
Around 12million repeat prescriptions are issued in Kent and Medway every year. It is estimated that more than 2million repeat prescription items are wasted.
NHS Kent and Medway has information for patients about how they can play their part in helping to reduce medicines waste. Find further information at stopthinkchoose.co.uk/pharmacy
Download resources from our communications toolkit to share on your channels.
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From 3 October, those eligible for winter vaccines – including over 65s, pregnant women, and those with certain underlying health conditions – will receive invitations from the NHS to encourage them to get vaccinated.
Residents can book their flu or Covid-19 vaccinations online, via the NHS App or by calling 119 for free. You can also contact your GP practice for the flu vaccination.
Hundreds of sites across Kent and Medway will be offering the flu and Covid vaccines to make it as easy and convenient as possible for people to get protection.
Download the social media resources.
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Children and young people with asthma or suspected asthma are being encouraged to come forward for lifesaving checks.
Across the UK, up to 30 children die every year from asthma.
With fewer children being diagnosed since the Covid-19 pandemic, the NHS is working hard to improve diagnosis and provide better support to those affected.
NHS Kent and Medway has launched its ‘safer asthma’ campaign during #AskAboutAsthma week (9 to 15 September) to raise awareness of three simple steps which can help children and young people to manage their condition.
Download digital screens, posters and social media resources.
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The Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS is urging eligible adults aged 40 and over to get a free blood pressure check at their nearest pharmacy.
High blood pressure is responsible for 1 in 4 deaths in England; it can have no symptoms but it can be easily treated.
An estimated 4.2 million people in England are unaware they have it and the only way to know is to get a blood pressure check.
Patients can get a free NHS blood pressure check at a local participating pharmacy. Find further details on the ICB website.
Download assets for social media, waiting room screens and posters.
Please help promote the campaign by sharing it on your channels.
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The Stop Think Choose campaign encourages patients to make an informed choice about the type of care they need, from self-care to using an urgent treatment centre.
We run this campaign all year, focused on times of pressure (bank holidays, school holidays, Christmas etc) and can be deployed whenever needed.
We produce web and social media graphics, newsletter and media content and audience focused materials. Download the assets from our toolkit.
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A national campaign to support understanding of the general practice workforce. NHS Kent and Medway is supporting this campaign by sharing it through our social media and enewsletter channels. Please look out for our posts and share them.
You can also download the relevant materials below for use on your own websites, in practice and on your social media channels.
Download assets for social media and waiting rooms.
If you have team members who might be interested in appearing in any media requests to help explain the roles please contact kmicb.engagecomms@nhs.net
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Using the NHS App has lots of benefits for practices. It reduces text messaging and postage costs – sending messages for free, reduces admin requests (such as appointment booking and ordering repeat prescriptions) and reduces phone calls into the practice.
Here is a helpful guide on what the app does, how your practice can use it and some helpful tips and techniques for setting it up.
Read this guide on how to get the most from the NHS App and promote it to your patients.
Learn more about becoming an NHS App ambassador. Speak to a Kent and Medway digital champion if you need any support with this.
Watch training on using the NHS App from NHS England.
There are various resources to communicate use of the NHS App to your patients.
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Qwell is available to all adults in Kent Medway, giving people aged 18 years old and over increased access to mental health support.
Support is offered seven days a week, 365 days a year. Whether feeling low, grieving the loss of a loved one, going through family and relationship issues and/or feeling anxious, help is available via Qwell.
Watch a recoding of an introductory webinar which covers Qwell’s support features, benefits for professionals and access and referral information.
View Qwell’s digital resources, which includes social media images, videos, leaflets and posters promoting the service.
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The Be Skin Smart campaign is part of Kent and Medway’s Cancer Alliance’s work to increase earlier diagnosis and treat cancer sooner.
The Cancer Alliance team, is inviting practices to join the campaign by displaying the printed materials, letting patient participation groups (PPGs) know and by sharing posts on social media when seen.
Download assets for social media.
Any questions, please contact: england.kmcanceralliance@nhs.net.
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Can you help us start a conversation about the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer?
NHS Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance has launched its ‘Let’s talk about ovarian cancer’ campaign to encourage women to know the signs of ovarian cancer and contact their GP if they are concerned; this is part of a new drive to increase earlier diagnosis of the disease.
Get involved by sharing the campaign resources on your website and social media channels.
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We know that patient expectations and surging demand can mean our colleagues have to deal with some difficult conversations.
Here is some wording you may wish to use or edit for your own websites:
The overwhelming majority of our patients are respectful of the years of training and the skills healthcare professionals have developed so they can care for others.
People understand the caring and compassionate nature that makes someone want to work for the NHS; whether they are clinicians or in support roles.
We understand the frustration when you may have to wait a little longer at a clinic appointment, urgent treatment centre or emergency department, or when you may not be able to get through to a GP practice on the phone.
However, what we cannot accept is abuse – verbal or physical – towards us. We are here to help, not be abused.
NHS staff across Kent and Medway are reporting more and more incidents of the abuse they face when they go into work.
We ask the small minority of people engaging in this behaviour to stop and think of the impact it can have on individuals, on their families and on the NHS, and to stop it.
Our #notinadayswork campaign reminds people that abuse of NHS staff never has been and never will be acceptable.
You can also share on not in a day’s work Youtube video on your website or on your social media channels.
Download assets for social media, websites and a pull-up banner.
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Kent County Councils Everyday Active (EDA) campaign has been designed to support and encourage people to be more active in their everyday life.
The Everyday Active website is central to the campaign and is where people can find information about a broad range of low cost or free inclusive local activity ideas (including walking, running, cycling, home & solo activities, exercise groups, swimming, sports and active days out) as well as hints and tips, and personal stories about becoming more active.
Download posters, flyers and Z cards which can be displayed in waiting rooms and given to patients.
Download promotional videos:
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One You Kent
Can you help promote local public health services including health visiting, school health, One You Kent lifestyle services, sexual health, and immunisations? Please download and share the below resources on surgery screens and channels. Contact beverley.hunt6@nhs.net, Public Health Campaigns Manager at Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust for any requests for printed or digital materials.
Whole Family Health
A series of new animations and films has been launched to guide parents on how the whole family can work together to develop healthy habits and how to talk to their children about weight in a positive way.
When parents and children work together, the entire family can benefit from better habits, shared activities, and a stronger bond.
With these animations, parents are given both the tools and the confidence to address their concerns while making sure that their children feel loved, supported, and empowered to live healthier lives.
Find out more about support for families on the Kent Family website including support for families to get active, eat well and how to talk to children and teens about weight.
Please download and share the below resources on surgery screens and channels.
Contact beverley.hunt6@nhs.net, Public Health Campaigns Manager at Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust for any requests for printed or digital materials.
30 seconds promtional video: Whole family health
Whole Family Health: Being a role model (animation with subtitles)
Whole Family Health: Being a role model (animation with no audio)
Whole Family Health: Being a role model (animation with subtitles)
Whole Family Health: Being a role model (animation with no audio)
