Communications and engagement strategy

Transcription

1 Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Group Communications and engagement strategy Working together locally to achieve the best health and care in all our communities Created July 2012 Revised October 2012 Refreshed June 2013

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3 Contents Section A Executive summary Forward Purpose of this document Our vision Our strategic plan Context Understanding our audience Aims and objectives Responsibilities and guiding principles Section B Communications Section C Patient and public engagement Section D Meeting our communications and engagement objectives Notes Communications and Engagement Strategy p3

4 Section A 1 Executive summary Communicating and engaging with our local population is vital to delivering our vision. At NHS Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), we want our patients, public, carers, other stakeholders and members to be truly involved in our work. This communications and engagement strategy describes our communications and engagement aims and objectives to support the organisation s overall strategy. It is based on our vision of Working together locally to achieve the best health and care in all our communities. It outlines how we communicate and engage with our communities, including internal and external audiences. It sets out our communications and engagement objectives and principles, and the key areas of communication and engagement we need to concentrate on. It also outlines the functional, legislative and local contexts we need to work in, ensuring that we actively communicate, engage and involve our stakeholders. The strategy has been produced to support the strategic objectives and development of NHS Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Group and should be read alongside: NHS Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Group s strategy delivery plan ; organisation development plan; NHS Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Group s constitution; equality schemes; the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA); and Leeds Health and Wellbeing Strategy Communications and engagement functions are all key enablers to make sure that we make commissioning decisions in the most informed and effective way. At the same time, day-today communication and engagement with patients, carers and the public creates a lasting impression about our organisation. Everyone who is connected to the organisation shares a responsibility to ensure that the impression they leave is a good one. p4

5 2 Foreword NHS Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is made up of 38 GP practices in the west and parts of outer north west and south west Leeds. We are one of three CCGs in Leeds and are the largest, covering a population of around 340,555 people. We achieved authorisation to become a statutory NHS organisation in January 2013, and took up our formal duties in April Patient and public engagement and good communications are a priority for the CCG. Our patient and public involvement (PPI) strategy was developed following engagement with patients and staff in It has been incorporated into this communications and engagement strategy and supporting action plan. As we developed our PPI strategy, we began to build relationships with our stakeholders, and are continuing to build our public profile We want to establish a reputation of a CCG that has a real understanding of what matters to our patients, our local communities and our member practices. Our aim is to become a high performing organisation commissioning the quality healthcare services that our population demands, and for our practices to deliver excellent primary care services that patients want. We recognise and value the importance of effective engagement with all our stakeholders to help inform commissioning decisions and patient satisfaction. We will form strong relationships with our patients, public, local communities and other stakeholders to work in partnership to shape and develop how services are designed and delivered. We want to ensure that our population has access to high quality information about their health and healthcare to help them make informed decisions about their lifestyle and treatments and care they receive. It is important to us that patients, the public and other stakeholders can easily contact us and receive a high quality, consistent response. Some of the ways we will achieve this are: carefully targeting information to meet the needs of all our communities; continually developing and improving our website; increasing our use of social media providing information in a range of formats and languages where appropriate; and embedding customer service standards. Communications and Engagement Strategy p5

6 3 Purpose of this document 3.1 The purpose of this communications and engagement strategy and supporting action plan is to set out a clear and consistent approach to external and internal communications and engagement with all our stakeholders that will support our vision, our aims and our overall strategic objectives. 3.2 The CCG has now finalised its strategic objectives and this communications and engagement strategy has been refreshed to reflect these, and the achievements and developments in 2012 and the first quarter of This strategy and supporting action plan demonstrates that we have robust plans in place to ensure that patients, carers and all our communities are at the centre of our plans and proposals. We will continue to refresh it annually to reflect achievements and assurance against the ongoing assessment process for clinical commissioning groups. The action plan details specific, measurable areas of work. It can be found at Appendix C. p6

7 4 Our vision 4.1 The vision for NHS Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Group is: 4.2 Working together locally to achieve the best health and care in all our communities. The aims underpinning our vision were developed following involvement with staff, the public, patients and other stakeholders. These are: We will ensure that local people are at the centre of our commissioning decisions. We will commission services based on what we would want for our own families and friends We will commission services which are the best possible value for money. We will work in collaboration with our partners to make sure we achieve the best possible health and care for all our communities. We will be an organisation where our staff are valued and where everyone counts. Our strategic plan Our strategic plan for establishes the overall direction of the CCG and defines the strategic objectives so that all members and teams understand what their role is. The strategy establishes the framework against which the CCG can prioritise its activities, coordinate its resources and measure success. It sets out the health challenges we face and the priorities we need to address. Our strategic objectives are: Members can meet their obligations as clinical commissioners at practice level. To tackle the biggest health challenges in West Leeds, reducing health inequalities. To ensure that commissioning resources are used effectively. To transform care and drive continuous improvement in quality and safety. To have the best developed workforce that we possibly can The strategic objective to tackle the biggest health challenges in west Leeds is central to the CCG s purpose. The health challenges we face are: Reducing the life expectancy gap in west Leeds, addressing the wider determinants of health Reducing the volume of emergency admissions to hospital for patients with long term conditions To improve outcomes for people diagnosed with cancer To improve the mental health of people in west Leeds with a focus on dementia and suicide prevention To improve urgent care for people in west Leeds To improve care for people at the end of life To proactively support the development of sexual health services We will measure our success against the goals and outcomes identified in our strategic plan. Communications and Engagement Strategy p7

8 5 Context 5.1 Health and Social Care Act 5.2 The Health and Social Care Act 2012 sets out the Government s long-term plans for the future of the NHS. It is built on the key principles of the NHS - a comprehensive service, available to all, free at the point of use, based on need, not ability to pay. It sets out how the NHS will: put patients at the heart of everything it does; focus on improving those things that really matter to patients; and empower and liberate clinicians to innovate, with the freedom to focus on improving healthcare services. Under the 2012 Act, the responsibility for commissioning health services shifted to local groups of clinicians by establishing GP-led clinical commissioning groups. 5.3 Statutory duties Under Section 242(1B) of the NHS Act 2008 we have a statutory duty to involve users whether directly or through representatives (whether by being consulted or provided with information, or other ways) in: planning the provision of services the development and consideration of proposals for changes in the way services are provided, and decisions to be made affecting the operation of services Additionally, NHS organisations have a duty under Section 244 of the Act to consult the local Scrutiny Board (Health) on any proposal for substantial development or variation of the health services. 5.4 Healthwatch Healthwatch is a new organisation which has replaced the Local Involvement Network (LINk), and also to take on some additional functions. Healthwatch s role is to ensure that the views and feedback from patients and carers are an integral part of local commissioning across health and social care. This will include providing information about local care services. Healthwatch Leeds will have a significant influence on our future communications and engagement work. p8

9 5.5 Public Sector Equality Duty The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies to consider all individuals when they carry out their day to day work, such as shaping policy, delivering services and in relation to their own employees. It encourages public bodies to understand how different people will be affected by their activities, so that their policies and services are appropriate and accessible to all and meet different people s needs. We will take the equality duty into account in the ways we communicate and engage with our local population and our members and staff. 5.6 NHS Constitution The NHS Constitution is enshrined in law and we are committed to upholding its rights and pledges and to delivering against its standards The NHS Constitution reaffirms the values and principles of the NHS setting out the rights that patients and staff can expect and reinforces the responsibilities that individuals need to undertake. We have a responsibility to make sure that people are aware of the NHS Constitution so it can be enforced, and to ensure its values and principles are reflected in services 5.7 Patient Choice The NHS Constitution has established patients right to make choices about the services they receive and access to information to support that choice. Our model has mechanisms in place to gather insight from patients; for example, via GP patient reference groups and our community involvement network. We will use feedback gained from patient and public engagement and work with our member practices to develop more ways of promoting choice to our patients. 5.8 NHS Mandate The NHS Mandate highlights areas of health and care where the Government expects to see improvements, and they believe it will help patients hold the NHS to account. It sets out the priorities for the health service for the next two years. These include improving early diagnosis, cutting premature deaths and better help for dementia sufferers. 5.9 Regulatory standards There are regulatory standards around communications and engagement that require the NHS to publish a range of information. This includes information about the Freedom of Information Act, and the Use of Resources (UOR) (formerly known as the Auditors Local Evaluation or ALE) and the NHS Promotion Code The NHS Promotion Code was introduced in 2008 to set standards and monitor marketing and promotional activity undertaken by the NHS or organisations marketing NHS services. These standards are monitored to ensure that accurate, fair and value for money promotion is undertaken. As statutory NHS bodies, this is a responsibility of clinical commissioning groups. Communications and Engagement Strategy p9

10 5.9.3 The NHS brand is one of the most well-known and trusted, and NHS organisations are expected to uphold and protect the governance regulations around its use. There are comprehensive guidelines for all communications and engagement work that NHS organisations, or anyone working on their behalf, must follow Managing complaints Statutory organisations are legally required to monitor and respond to concerns and complaints about the services they commission or provide. NHS Leeds West CCG has established a governance team and formal complaints policy to manage complaints about commissioned services. Primary care complaints will be handled by NHS England Information about how to raise concerns and complaints, or to pay compliments is promoted to patients through GP practices, on our website and through PALS if patients choose to use that route Complainants and / or their advocates will have personal responses to their complaints from the CCG. The public will be made aware of feedback from complaints through reports to the Governing Body heard at meetings held in public and published on the website and in the Annual Report. However, this will not identify any individuals. Where appropriate, complaints will be fed into our process to gather patients experience of health services NHS Operating Framework The Operating Framework outlines that the need for good systematic engagement with staff, patients and the public is essential so that service delivery and change is taken forward with the local people actively involved. Patients and staff will provide us with essential insight into the quality of services Joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA) The JSNA is used to help identify the health, wellbeing needs and inequalities of our local population. It outlines the current needs of people living in the city, and contains a range of information for NHS organisations and the local authority to consider when looking at current and future service developments. The stakeholder list and the mechanisms to communicate with different groups which are attached to this strategy take the JSNA profile for NHS Leeds West CCG into account. The JSNA is a live document constantly being interrogated for information and used to identify different groups. p10

11 5.13 Understanding our population Our diverse population covers parts of the most affluent and parts of the most deprived areas of Leeds, and includes communities with some of the lowest average life expectancy rates in the city. The difference in life expectancy for men in the most affluent and the most deprived areas is 10.9 years, and for those living in Armley and New Wortley, this is the second lowest life expectancy in the city. The distribution of need is scattered across the population of the CCG rather than concentrated in large areas. However, the levels of health need within these areas are amongst the greatest within the city. Data at a whole CCG level often masks this variation of need when combined with the rest of the CCG population. There are significant health problems which are predominantly linked to levels of deprivation; in some areas all rates for smoking, obesity and alcohol admissions are above Leeds average. In inner west Leeds, there are higher rates of mental health problems and substance use. In other parts of our community, there is a high prevalence of dementia and increasing longevity, and also increasing prevalence of long term conditions. Our area also includes some communities with specific needs, for example offenders, gypsies and travellers and most of the university student population of Leeds - around 50,000 students Reaching vulnerable groups / communities Evidence shows that people with the poorest heath live in the most deprived areas and that those living in the most deprived areas are often vulnerable groups and/or from minority ethnic communities. We must engage and communicate with these groups to fully understand their needs and how to best support them. We must also make sure that their views are taken into account appropriately and used to inform commissioning proposals. Communications and information should be relevant and accessible by considering the language that we use, the format and availability. We are extending our network of contacts in the community, voluntary and faith sector to signpost us to hard to reach or vulnerable groups or act as advocates on their behalf. We have some well established links through to our vulnerable groups through public health, and this will continue through the public health core offer. For example, public health commissions GATE the (Gypsy and Traveller Exchange) to act as an advocate as the link into this community and engage with them about health services, and offers a signposting service to GPs and other health services. Funding for this is secure until 2014, and so will continue as part of the core offer. However the CCG will look to develop systems to engage directly with this group. We are also engaging with older people on an ongoing basis via the neighbourhood networks, particularly around the integrated health and social care team work. There is a full programme of activity to engage with the student population of Leeds, particularly around sexual health and again through the public health core offer. In addition, a full communications and marketing action plan to raise awareness of health services for students coming to Leeds takes place during Fresher s Week in September. Communications and Engagement Strategy p11

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13 5.15 Volunteering policy We want to be recognised as a proactive organisation that cares about the community and what matters most to people. We will work closely with the third sector in our area and propose to develop a volunteering policy to support staff to become involved with local organisations Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiry The public inquiry into Mid Staffordshire Hospitals made some recommendations for GPs around better engagement between GPs and patients. It specifically refers to GPs actively seeking feedback from their patients about their hospital experience. It also reinforces the need to embed patient experience into the commissioning process. These recommendations are reflected into this communications and engagement strategy and action plan Working with our partners NHS Leeds West CCG is one of three CCGs in Leeds. Locally based commissioning groups bring many advantages, but the CCGs also recognise the importance of joint working. The communications and engagement strategy and supporting action plan reflects the need to work together on citywide projects Our member practices Our member practices are a group of like-minded practices who have worked closely over the last few years, to use their influence in the commissioning decisions of the NHS in Leeds. Our member practices want to ensure that the voices of our population are heard in our commissioning decisions. They are also committed to involving patients in making decisions about their own healthcare at GP practice level. Communications and Engagement Strategy p13

14 6 Understanding our audience - our stakeholders 7 Customer service approach 6.1 Stakeholders are people, groups or organisations that have an interest in, or can be affected by, our work. A stakeholder map at Appendix A identifies our stakeholder groups and channels of communications for each of these groups So that we can communicate effectively and efficiently, it is important that we understand who are stakeholders are in terms of their influence and their interests. The stakeholder grid shows how to map stakeholders onto a power, influence and interest chart depending on a project and their interest in a particular project. For each communications and engagement activity, this list will be used to map their relative influence and interest to enable focused and targeted work. 6.2 The stakeholder map shows our main stakeholders and their communications priorities. It also sets out broad primary areas of interest, although we will need to consider these on a project by project basis. These channels will be developed further and refined through the communications and engagement strategy and action plan. Whether we call people patients, public, service users, staff, colleagues or stakeholders, we must treat everyone who works with us and uses our services as valued customers with individual needs. We want to ensure that all sections of the community, including those from seldom heard groups, find it easy to contact us and understand what information, advice and support we can provide. We must ensure that patients, the public and our stakeholders can easily contact NHS Leeds West CCG for information, support and advice by developing and promoting clear, consistent and straightforward ways for them to do so. This will also address standards and consistency of information and how we all respond to customers. We will assess the ways in which people contact us to ensure that we have clear standards in place to ensure that everyone contacting the CCG receives a consistently high quality service within an agreed timeframe. These may include how quickly we answer telephone calls and respond to requests for information, all of which will be driven by what our customers tell us. We will develop a customer services strategy, setting some principles and standards. This will also help us to embed the principles and rights set out in the NHS Constitution. p14

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16 8 Aims 9 Objectives The aims of this communications and engagement strategy are to: Establish and embed a clear and consistent communications and engagement approach to support NHS Leeds West CCG to achieve our vision, aims and corporate objectives, and to position the organisation as a leader of the NHS. Continually develop effective structures and mechanisms for meaningful and sustainable communication and engagement with key stakeholders, members, partners, patients, the public and local community groups, GP practices and CCG staff. Ensure that the views, comments and opinions of patients, carers, the public and our local communities are embedded into the commissioning cycle Actively promote collaborative working arrangements across the city to maintain a positive perception of the NHS. The objectives are to: Build credibility and trust in Leeds West CCG so that we establish a reputation with key partners, members, stakeholders, patients and the public as a high performing, responsive organisation Build continuous and meaningful engagement with the public, patients and carers to influence and support us in our commissioning decision making process Ensure that member practices feel fully informed on the work of the CCG, are ambassadors for the CCG and an advocate for their patients. Establish robust and effective mechanisms to gather patient feedback; to include patient experience, compliments, comments and complaints and ensure these are handled and used appropriately. p16

17 10 Our responsibilities As a statutory NHS body, we will be responsible for: building and protecting the reputation of the local NHS building relationships with stakeholders, staff, public, patient, carers, partners and the media branding and identity providing different ways in which patients, carers, stakeholders, staff and the public can share their views crisis communications planning and preparedness ensuring that information for patients is appropriate and timely responding to parliamentary questions and other statutory requests for information ensuring patients and the public are involved in commissioning health services ensuring consultation and engagement around service changes and developments is carried out and reported within the legal requirements. processes to handle complaints, both about our own activities and for complaints escalated to us in our role as commissioner promoting patient choice promote each patient s involvement in decisions about their care 11 Our guiding principles for communications be clear, open, honest, consistent and accountable use plain language appropriate for all audiences be equally accessible to all give clear, accurate and consistent messages, linked to our vision and values encourage and support good two-way communication and engagement with all audiences (internal and external) be planned, timely, targeted and proportionate provide cost effective, high quality information maximising our resources ensure our members are aware that communication and engagement is everyone s responsibility and skills will be shared and developed use best practice methods and share knowledge with other NHS organisations and partners where appropriate build on existing insight and knowledge of communication and engagement techniques innovate and be responsive to change Communications and Engagement Strategy p17

18 12 Our guiding principles for patient, carer and public involvement The aims of this communications and engagement strategy are to: Establish and embed a clear and consistent communications and engagement approach to support NHS Leeds West CCG to achieve our vision, aims and corporate objectives, and to position the organisation as a leader of the NHS. Continually develop effective structures and mechanisms for meaningful and sustainable communication and engagement with key stakeholders, members, partners, patients, the public and local community groups, GP practices and CCG staff. Ensure that the views, comments and opinions of patients, carers, the public and our local communities are embedded into the commissioning cycle Actively promote collaborative working arrangements across the city to maintain a positive perception of the NHS. 13 Community Involvement Network The objectives are to: Build credibility and trust in Leeds West CCG so that we establish a reputation with key partners, members, stakeholders, patients and the public as a high performing, responsive organisation Build continuous and meaningful engagement with the public, patients and carers to influence and support us in our commissioning decision making process Ensure that member practices feel fully informed on the work of the CCG, are ambassadors for the CCG and an advocate for their patients. Establish robust and effective mechanisms to gather patient feedback; to include patient experience, compliments, comments and complaints and ensure these are handled and used appropriately. 14 Patient Assurance Group We have established a patient assurance group to assure the appropriate level of patient and public involvement and engagement in commissioning proposals. p18

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20 Section B 15 Communications It is vital that we develop excellent communications and engagement skills and processes to enable us to mature into a successful organisation The Communicating Organisation: using communications to support the development of highperforming organisations (Department of Health, 2009) affirms that NHS organisations that are good at communicating will have four core attributes. These are: An excellent understanding of the brand Excellence in planning, managing and evaluating communication Leadership support for communication Communication as a core competency 15.2 High performing organisations apply these attributes across the following four perspectives: Societal how the NHS is perceived as a whole at national and local levels Corporate how communications operates within each organisation at the level of strategy setting Service user and stakeholder an understanding of how patients and the public experience the NHS locally Functional the way in which communications strategies and programmes are put into operation The table (Appendix D) provides a simple framework that maps the four attributes against the four perspectives to produce a description of excellent communications. This helps us to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses as we embark on developing excellent communication Communications includes reputation management, media relations, internal communications, website and social media. It also includes marketing services and campaigns to influence behaviour with regard to healthy lifestyles and promote healthcare services. p20

21 15.5 Everyone in the CCG - our clinicians, staff and support staff has a key role in promoting the CCG, the services we commission and to raise awareness of campaigns and initiatives. We need to ensure that we work closely together and that everyone is well informed. We are developing a culture of two way communications so that everyone will be responsible for proactive and positive communications and engagement This will help everyone to: understand what our priorities are and the part they play in achieving those priorities understand the impact of change or development on patients and the public, as well as their own roles understand the importance of patient experience, and patient and public involvement in helping to shape health services inform the communications and engagement team of any contact with patient groups, the voluntary sector or any other group with an interest in patients to ensure that we capture all engagement work identify examples of success that could be included in newsletters and/or the local media raise media issues and refer media enquiries to the communications team. Communications and Engagement Strategy p21

22 Section C 16 Patient and public engagement Involving people and the public in developing and evaluating health services is integral to everything we do if we are to have excellent services that meet local people s needs. As a commissioner of healthcare services our responsibility is to ensure that our local communities have the opportunity to be fully engaged in the decisions we take. We need to move from a service that does things to and for patients to one that works with people to support them to manage their health needs better Communications activities will support engagement to ensure that patient and public views are taken into account in developing both the strategic plans and services Our aims for patient and public involvement are to: put patients at the heart of everything we do commission high quality services by consistently involving people in their planning, evaluation and improvement introduce clear and accountable functions for PPI support the development of local patient reference groups ensure that involvement is representative of all our communities share and build on best practice across Leeds and our involvement work will be consistent with all our partners 16.3 We will involve people in a whole range of work from developing our business plan and prioritising commissioning plans, to making improvements to the pathways of care that people may receive from their health services. This will help us to: ensure the NHS locally provides high quality services and a better patient experience; make difficult decisions and set priorities for healthcare that are right first time; have a better understanding of the problems faced by patients and how we can find solutions to those problems; and provide more support for people to manage their own health better Our model of patient and public engagement and involvement This can be found at Appendix F p22

23 16.5 We are committed to using a wide variety of means to ensure patients and communities inform decisions at all stages of the commissioning cycle (figure 1). Patient, carer and public involvement will be embedded in the culture of the organisation so no service change or development is undertaken without the appropriate level of involvement 16.6 The commissioning cycle begins with engagement with our patients and communities, must capture patients experiences of services and we must be able to show how the views and opinions of local people have informed and influenced our decision making. Analyse and plan Deliver and improve Patient and carer engagement to monitor services Community engagement to identify needs and aspirations Making it happen Patient and carer engagement to procure services Public engagement to develop priorities, strategies and plans Patient and carer engagement to improve services Design pathways Specify and procure 16.7 In the strategic planning stages we will: Engage communities in identifying health needs and aspirations; Engage the public in decisions about priorities and strategies; and Use information gathered about patient experience to inform planning When specifying outcomes and procuring services we will: Engage patients in service design and improvement; Give patients a role in procurement and contracting; and Embed an open and transparent procurement process for wider audiences. Communications and Engagement Strategy p23

24 16.9 When managing demand and performance we will: Actively seek patient feedback by including it as a requirement in every contract; Ensure patients play a role in ongoing monitoring and performance management; and Monitor feedback on services through our patient reference groups, social networking sites, opinion-led services such as NHS Choices and Patient Opinion, surveys and other feedback mechanisms As a city-wide partner, we will work with our colleagues in other health and social care organisations, the local authority, public services and the third sector to maximise the use of our resources. Wherever possible, we will tap into existing networks and opportunities to involve local people. We will work collaboratively with our partner CCGs and the local authority to share insight and information on patient views and preferences We will listen to community leaders and third sector representatives and act on their suggestions to ncrease involvement of people from a wide range of diverse cultures and communities Leeds Health and Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Board Our duty under Section 244 of the Act is to consult the local Scrutiny Board (Health) on any proposal for substantial development or variation of the health services The regulations for overview and scrutiny do not define the term substantial. The former primary care trust in Leeds NHS and the local authority developed a systematic way of working and use a traffic light system for engagement and consultation (appendix F ) The clinical commissioning groups and the Scrutiny function in Leeds and have committed to continue this close working relationship to horizon scan proposals for service developments Patient experience We have a responsibility under the Health and Social Care Act to monitor patient experience and consider this in our proposals and planning. There are already established mechanisms, such as annual patient surveys. One of our priorities is to establish a new range of methods and systems to routinely capture patients experiences of using healthcare services. In particular, we want to find ways of capturing patient experience in a primary care setting. Their information will be used to capture inform planning and commissioning decisions so that services are of high quality, safe and what people would expect from a modern NHS. In partnership p24

25 with Leeds North and Leeds South and East CCGs, we will map what systems already exist and extend these so that we have a co-ordinated approach across the city Sources of patient experience include: Patient advice and liaison service (PALS) Friends and family test complaints, compliments and concerns issues raised by third parties and patient advocates (eg carers, third sector, MP letters, local elected members) media coverage online surveys and social media (eg Patient Opinion NHS Choices, Facebook, Twitter) national patient survey and GP practice survey results Citizen s panel engagement work with patients, carers, public and other stakeholders patient reference groups individual interviews and focus groups videos and patient diaries Communications and Engagement Strategy p25

26 Section D 17 Meeting our communications and engagement objectives 1. Build credibility and trust in NHS Leeds West CCG so that we establish a reputation with partners, opinion formers, patients, the public, member practices and staff as a high performing, responsive organisation We will do this by: Developing the organisation s vision, values and aims Protecting the reputation and promoting the NHS Leeds West CCG brand Supporting leaders of the organisation to develop and maintain relationships with key opinion formers, such as MPs, local councillors, Leeds Health and Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Board, Health and Wellbeing Board, Healthwatch, third sector organisations and community leaders Engaging and communicating with all our stakeholders to promote our clear and credible plan Developing good media relations, seeking opportunities for proactive news stories and providing reactive responses to press enquiries within the timescale requested Making sure that our internal and external audiences are aware of developments in the CCG and any issues that we face Working collaboratively with partners and other organisations, including the third sector Establishing a process for handling Freedom of Information requests Developing good internal two-way communications channels Developing a volunteering policy for the CCG In future years, there will be an increased emphasis on reducing cost and providing services that demonstrate better value for money for the NHS. In some cases, decisions may cause negative perception of the NHS so reputation management will be essential in protecting the NHS brand and instilling trust and confidence among patients and the public. Therefore, we will also: Work with the media, patients, local communities and other stakeholders to develop their understanding of the NHS locally, and promote honest and open decision-making; and Actively promote opportunities for joint working arrangements across the city to maintain a positive perception of the NHS. p26

27 2. Build continuous and meaningful engagement with regulators, public, patients and carers to influence and support us in our commissioning decision making process We will do this by: Working with Leeds City Council, the Health and Wellbeing Board, Healthwatch and Leeds Health and Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Board around our plans and proposals Developing our community involvement network of patients, carers, public and third sector organisations Involving patients, carers, public and representative groups in planning services Developing relationships and a variety of systems so that all of our communities can have their voices heard and be represented in decisions about services Making sure that internal and external audiences are able to feedback information on successes and achievements through established and easy to use routes Providing information to Leeds Health and Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Board and attending meetings to determine and agree levels of service change Offering ongoing support to practices to develop their patient reference groups 3. Ensure that member practices feel fully informed on the work of the CCG, are supported to be ambassadors for the CCG and an advocate for their patients We will do this by: Developing a clear vision, values and aims for the organisation that are shared by all Providing a framework of support to enable practices to undertake their role as commissioners. Ensuring that practices understand their membership role in a commissioning organisation to involve people in commissioning decisions, and gathering insight and patient experiences to help shape services Supporting our member practices to improve patients involvement their own health and care and in planning how to improve GP practice services Developing clear and regular internal communications channels Developing communications / marketing campaign to promote extended Choice Promoting the role of patients, carers and the wider community in improving their own health and wellbeing Actively promoting the NHS Constitution. Engaging with practices through the clinical development events ensuring that members have a voice. Communications and Engagement Strategy p27

28 4 Establish robust and effective mechanisms to gather all patient feedback; to include patient experience, compliments, comments and complaints and ensure that all of these are handled appropriately We will do this by: Building communications and engagement into the commissioning process to ensure patients experience is captured and that patient and public views are taken into account when developing services Establishing a Patient Insight Group to monitor and analyse patient experience that is gathered Using patient experience data and information to inform our work, and work with provider organisations to listen to patients more and act on their feedback Ensuring a range of appropriate channels are used to communicate with and engage patients, public, carers and other stakeholder. Developing systems of working with member practices to capture patients experience in a primary care setting. Liaising with practices to share their feedback from their patient reference groups to influence decision making Developing and promoting a complaints policy Developing a customer service culture Our communications and engagement action plan can be found at Appendix C Making it happen Action plan The action plan at Appendix C sets out what we will do, which stakeholders it will impact on, how it links to our strategic objectives, who will lead the project and how we will measure success. This plan will be refreshed annually. Achievement against the last year s plan is included in Appendix D. Resources NHS Leeds West CCG has signed a service level agreement with the West and South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Commissioning Support Unit (WSYBCSU). Communications and engagement in the CCG will be led by a communications manager supported by a patient and public engagement facilitator. Each will spend 80% of their time with the CCG. From April 2013, they will have access to an additional four days support each week. This will be in the shape of two communications assistants each spending two days a week at the CCG. The CCG has identified budgets to support communications and engagement work. Regular personal development plans and reviews will ensure that the CCG has the appropriate skills in place to deliver the strategy. Communications and engagement are the responsibility of the whole organisation. To reflect this, appropriate training will be available as part of the CCG s training plan, and one-off training sessions will be organised as necessary. We will work with communications and engagement teams from other organisations to ensure that we have a co-ordinated approach to work across the city, to make the most of opportunities, to keep costs to a minimum and prevent duplication. This will help us to make sure that we do not constantly contact our stakeholders with the same questions from different organisations. p28

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32 Communications and engagement strategy This leaflet can be made available in other formats, including large print, audio or other languages. NHS Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Group Unit 2-4, WIRA House, West Park Ring Road, Leeds, LS16 6EB tel: fax: website: