The Darzi Review outlines the problem - use it as an anchor point for making your healthcare organisation part of the solution
On his first day in Government, Wes Streeting announced that “the NHS is broken”, before deftly batting away speculative questions about how he’ll fix it, asserting that we must first accurately diagnose the problem before trying to prescribe the solution. As a strategic healthcare PR agency, we fully agree with that - our MERTO Framework is configured to ensure we follow exactly the same process.
The NHS diagnosis finally arrived earlier this month in the form of a 163-page report from Lord Darzi, who outlined problems with everything from rising illness, poor access to services, public health cuts, lack of empowerment of patients and staff, insufficient capital spending, health inequalities and much, much more.
The report confirmed that the NHS is “in critical condition” with a long road to recovery ahead of it, but it also gave hope for the future, identifying themes that we can expect to see in the upcoming 10-year plan, which include things like a ‘tilt towards technology’, ‘empowering patients’ and ‘driving productivity’.
A new anchor point for healthcare narratives
Darzi’s review has been called a ‘reset moment’ in some quarters, and alongside Wes Streeting’s three big shifts - ‘from analogue to digital’, ‘from hospital to community’ and ‘from sickness to prevention’ - it should provide a real narrative anchor point for health organisations.
At healthcare PR agency, Evergreen PR, we specialise in devising breakthrough healthcare narratives that ignite momentum, build authority and drive priority audiences to act. At the centre of our messaging approach are behaviour science principles and a storytelling structure that we call ‘narrative flow’.
The premise of narrative flow is that all good stories start with a significant problem, and Lord Darzi’s review makes it clear that the NHS is in crisis, with hundreds of challenges impacting patients, staff and wider society. The evidence is stark, and it is clear that real change is needed.
Good stories also need a hero - someone with the admirable capability and motivation to lead the way in solving this problem for the good of society. This is the opportunity for healthcare organisations. Examples might include:
Preventative health - If your product or service puts more power into the hands of patients, then Darzi’s assertion that “the best change happens when people are empowered” provides you with a strong anchor point.
Digital technology - The report calls for a major tilt towards technology, and while it highlights digital systems and AI, it is clear that any tech that can make a positive contribution to challenges including access, faster diagnosis, productivity, treatment of mental health conditions and empowering patients, will be welcomed. The key is being able to evidence the impact you can make.
Life sciences - The mention of the enormous potential of life sciences breakthroughs to create new treatments suggests that the pharmaceutical industry will be encouraged under this Government. Lord Darzi also talks about how supporting British biopharmaceutical companies will contribute to the nation’s prosperity. There is a real opportunity to bring to life the real world impacts being driven by life sciences.
Health insurance and occupational health - Lord Darzi’s report talks about the need for the NHS to contribute to national prosperity by getting people off the waiting list and back into work, specifically referencing mental health and MSK as the biggest causes of long-term sickness. This report might be focused on the NHS, but private companies that provide insurance and occupational health services for businesses can also highlight the positive impact they are making.
What’s that like in practice?
Our leaders have 20 years of healthcare PR and public affairs experience and, for the last five years, we have been helping healthcare organisations connect to big issues and demonstrate their leadership and evidence through an approach that drives measurable business outcomes.
We supported clinical technology business Meddbase in showcasing how their software increased the number of people accessing the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme - a programme heavily praised for its effectiveness in Lord Darzi’s review. The campaign took Meddbase from a standing start to attracting interest from 100+ NHS decision-makers, establishing dialogue with five NHS Integrated Care Boards, and securing one ICB customer in under three months. Read more about the campaign here.
We also helped MSK physiotherapy business Ascenti grow its Occupational Health and Private Medical Insurance portfolio with a two-part campaign that highlighted its knowledge of employee health and its expertise in delivering virtual physiotherapy. Launching with the ‘Are home workers sitting comfortably?’ report and following it with a campaign built around an evidence evaluation of the effectiveness of virtual physiotherapy, we helped the business to generate 10 new OH and PMI customers, improve its search visibility and gain traction with a wide variety of media and stakeholders, from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy to The Guardian.
If you’d like to explore how we can do something similar for you, get in touch with us today.
About the author:
Leigh Greenwood is the founder and managing director of Evergreen PR, the healthcare PR agency that makes health happen. He is a chartered PR professional who has been working in healthcare PR, public affairs and communications for the last 20 years. He has worked across the whole spectrum of healthcare and has scooped more than 40 industry awards for effective health campaigns that generated measurable outcomes.
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