The Brain Tumour Charity selects Evergreen PR for faster diagnosis campaign

Strategic healthcare PR and communications agency, Evergreen PR, has been appointed by The Brain Tumour Charity to devise and deliver a GP education campaign to support faster diagnosis of brain tumours.

At the centre of the campaign will be an educational toolkit that will equip primary healthcare professionals to identify the subtle signs and symptoms of a brain tumour more easily and increase their confidence to refer when there could be the possibility of a brain tumour.

Evidence shows that, currently, almost two in three brain tumours are diagnosed in emergency settings - rather than through GP referral - as the subtle signs and symptoms are notoriously hard-to-spot, may be similar to other conditions, or may not be disclosed by patients who might miss them or dismiss them as unimportant.

As part of the project, Evergreen PR will develop the branding and messaging for the toolkit, work with clinicians to develop a range of educational resources and undertake stakeholder relations activity in two pilot regions to drive engagement among primary care teams. The agency will also support the charity with evaluation of the effectiveness of the toolkit.

The specialist healthcare PR agency was appointed following a competitive pitch involving four agencies. Key factors in Evergreen PR’s appointment were its understanding of the healthcare landscape and proven expertise in engaging healthcare professionals with successful work for the Royal College of GPs and the Personalised Care Institute.

Catherine Fraher, Director of Services at the Brain Tumour Charity, said: “Evergreen PR impressed us in the pitch with their strategic thinking around which stakeholders to engage and how, and their previous work gives us great confidence that they are the right partners to help us tackle this challenge.

“This is a key campaign for The Brain Tumour Charity as it feeds into our mission to ensure that people experiencing symptoms of a brain tumour receive a diagnosis faster. The work done so far has been excellent - we’re seeing a thorough approach, great ideas and an immersive way of working. We’re looking forward to seeing things develop.”

Leigh Greenwood, Evergreen PR founder and managing director, said: “Our mission is to ‘make health happen’ and you don’t get many more important causes than improving the early detection of brain tumours. 

“We aim to be the best healthcare PR agency in the country when it comes to devising breakthrough health communications that ignite momentum, build authority and drive audiences to act. We’re confident that, using our MERTO Map method, we’ll identify the most effective route to supporting primary care teams to have the knowledge to identify possible brain tumour symptoms and feel confident to refer. It’s a privilege to be involved in this important piece of work.”

Evergreen PR has a successful track record of engaging with GPs and primary care teams. Earlier in the year, the agency worked with the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, Royal College of General Practitioners and NHS England to increase the number of ‘Veteran Friendly’ GP practices in England. Following the veterans campaign, which gained significant national cut-through, more than 50% of all GP practices in England are now signed up.
To find out how you can support The Brain Tumour Charity, visit: https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/