Press release
NHS campaign that tackles waste is short listed for national accolade
NHS Bury's Care about the cost campaign has been short listed for a national communications award to be judged in London this month. The ‘Mixed Media’ category is one of 20 featured in the 2011 ‘Good Communication Awards’. NHS Bury will go head to head with other public organisations including NHS Trusts and Councils, that have also been short listed for the award.
The Care about the cost campaign was launched in November 2010. The campaign urges patients to choose carefully which NHS service best meets their needs, whilst making sure that the limited NHS resources available to Bury are being spent wisely.
NHS Bury used a range of methods (mixed media) to reach local communities about the campaign. Methods included leaflets and posters, billboards and bus advertising, the internet and features within the press and media. A centre piece of the campaign was a 12 meter high banner in a town centre location urging patients only to use A&E in an emergency and directing patients to the Bury Urgent Treatment Centre. There was also a billboard style structure at the entrance to Fairfield General Hospital’s A&E department. All of these communications efforts were backed up by an extensive community outreach programme, where thousands of leaflets were handed out to local people.
Early indications are that the campaign is paying off with less people going to A&E. Following the launch of the campaign, the daily average number of A&E attendances by Bury patients went from 171 attendances per day to 160 per day, this difference offers an estimated saving of around £900 per day. More patients are also using the Bury Urgent Treatment Centre; and more patients are reporting that had they not gone to Bury Urgent Treatment Centre, they would have otherwise gone to A&E. This figure doubled between November/December 2010 and February/March 2011 from 500 to 1000 per month.
John Boyington CBE, Managing Director for NHS Bury said: “Its great news that we have been short listed for an award. Through the campaign we want patients to make the most out of their NHS whilst supporting us to make the most out of the limited budget we have. The campaign appears to be reaping the rewards we hoped it would, and I’d like to thank our local communities for supporting us with the campaign.”
Paul Horrocks, Locality Board Chairman for NHS Bury added: “It’s a real honour to have our local campaign highlighted in this way, it’s obviously stood out, for all the right reasons. Through Care about the cost, we wanted to take a slight twist on a traditional information campaign, we wanted to get straight to the point on the issues we faced, whist offering useful advice to help local people make the best choices when using their local health services.”
“One of the key communications vehicles we have benefited from is the Bury Times, the local newspaper has been a vital tool for us to communicate this important information to local people and the support of the newspaper has been crucial to the campaigns success.”
NHS Bury will find out who the winner of the Mixed Media category is, on 14th July 2011.
ENDS
Date: 11th July 2011
FOR PRESS & MEDIA ENQUIRIES: contact Caroline Dearden, Corporate Communications Manager on 0161 762 3106 or email communications@bury.nhs.uk
Notes to Editor:
http://www.communicator.gcawards.co.uk/