Issue - meetings

(Commissioner Stella Manzie to present)

Discussing how the Board can better engage the public in its work and provide relevant health-related information in an accessible way

Further to Minute No. 10(1) (Access to GPs Scrutiny Review), Michael Holmes presented a report proposing the development of a Board Communications Plan based broadly on:-

-          Providing health messages to the general public including linking to and raising awareness of national campaigns and utilising an “every contact counts” approach via frontline staff

-          Promoting the work of the Board and its partner organisations including local initiatives and success stories that help to raise Rotherham’s profile and improve its image

The Health and Wellbeing Partners website could be a central element of the communications plan.  The site would need to be developed and maintained as an up-to-date source of information on Board meetings and delivery of activity linked to the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.  It could also feature Public Health and other campaigns relevant to health and wellbeing as well as blogs and other interesting content.

To ensure effective communication remained central to the Board’s operation, the following would be implemented immediately:-

·           The Council or Clinical Commissioning Group’s communication leads to attend Board meetings on an alternating basis

·           A communications summary to be prepared after each meeting incorporating messages that needed to be fed back to individual organisations via Board members and also key messages to the public about the Board that would go on the website or be publicised by the communication leads

It was also highlighted that:-

·           The Choose Well brand/strapline was not being phased out due to the national Winter Campaign coming on board “Right Care First Time”.  The aim of the new campaign was getting people to the right place for attention at the first attempt particularly in light of the new Emergency Care Centre opening next year.  Work was taking place with the voluntary sector on getting the message out as well as a proposal put together for the Behaviour Campaign to understand why people attended where they did for medical attention

·           Involvement of the Planning Department regarding new housing developments and the need for the provision of new GP practices in a timely manner rather than waiting for the whole development to be completed

·           The need to ensure there was no duplication of information on websites

·           The website should be “added value”

·           Messages should be kept simple

Resolved:-  (1)  That the outline Communications Plan be endorsed.

(2)  That the Health and Wellbeing partner website be further developed and utilised as a central plank of Board communications.

(3)  That a communications summary be prepared after each Board meeting with clear messages for all Board members to disseminate within their respective organisations/departments.