What we did

Working closely with the client, we designed an extensive tailored engagement programme to ensure wide and deep feedback from across the organisation at all levels, encompassing a range of staff groups, professions and levels of seniority to inform our review. This included consideration of how to reach and engage effectively with staff with limited or no digital access and those who often find it more difficult to share their voice.

The independent and confidential nature of the review allowed us to provide a platform whereby staff felt more comfortable talking openly and honestly about the Trust’s approach to communications and engagement and how it made them think and feel, including their views on what worked well and how it could be improved. Staff from all levels of seniority openly welcomed the opportunity to have their views heard in this way, with many reflecting positively on the communication service’s willingness to commission and support such a process.

The engagement programme included one-to-one interviews with around 20 leaders (including executives and board members) and key staff representatives; attendance and online engagement at an all-staff meeting; in person focus groups including with cohorts without digital access at work; and an extensive survey available both online and on paper. We also facilitated discussions with groups such as staff networks including, but not limited to, the Black and Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) Staff Network, the LGBTQIA+ group and the Staffability network for staff with a disability. We conducted a detailed table-top review of channels, tools and materials, including social media accounts, considering their effectiveness and benchmarking them to examples of good practice elsewhere.

In all, we engaged more than 2,300 NUH staff as part of the review, accounting for more than 10% of the workforce.

 

The result

We presented an extensive 69-page report with findings and specific recommendations to the Trust which included a detailed summary of both the qualitative and quantitative feedback. The identification of emerging themes and candid nature of many of the staff feedback provided specific areas for the communication team to focus their future efforts. In addition, the quality and spread of the data meant they could assess satisfaction and effectiveness of the communication service by division, profession, seniority, geographical location and staff characteristics, such as whether they have access to a digital device at work.

We worked closely with the Trust to ensure our programme and methodology aligned with their expectations and they were kept abreast of our draft findings as the review progressed. We presented our findings to various leadership and decision-making bodies throughout the process, so that the results could feed into other strategic planning and activities occurring right across the organisation. We also facilitated an in-depth discussion and workshop with the communications and engagement team to share findings and explore solutions – both long-term and quick wins – which they incorporated into their objectives and plans.  

The report and its identification of key themes provided clear areas of focus for the communication service, both strategic and tactical. It provided rich qualitative and quantitative data to help drive ongoing improvement and a clear baseline from which to measure future progress.