Communications and Involvement Report (September – October 2021)

A summary of our recent communications and involvement activity.

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Recent media coverage

Over the period covered, we have secured a selection of media coverage both from proactive media relations and through reactive journalist enquiries. Due to the tragic death of a Leeds patient, and the current system pressures, we have higher than normal negativity, yet also wider than average reach across local, regional, national and sector media.

We are continuing to see that our proactive media releases championing healthy lifestyle choices, raising awareness of health issues and promoting services are well received by local outlets. Recent examples include:

You can find all our press releases here: www.leedsccg.nhs.uk/news

Current communications campaigns and activity

During the last two months, our campaigns and communications activity has been dominated by issues relating to the pandemic, including the vaccination programme and system pressures. This work is being led by the CCG, in partnership with colleagues across the local healthcare system.

  • AGM – we supported governance colleagues with this year’s annual general meeting, which met in person
    and was also live-streamed for the first time. We assisted with technical arrangements, provided display
    materials and arranged printed copies of the annual report, an easy read version and Involving You, all of
    which the team had created earlier in the summer.
  • Campaigns – we continue to work with colleagues to develop campaigns that support the Leeds system
    and our patients:

UTC promotion – Earlier this year, we commissioned insight into people’s understanding of
alternatives to emergency departments. This research is being used to develop a 12-18 month
behaviour change campaign to encourage people to use urgent treatment centres.

Over 60s harm minimisation – we have also continued to lead on a communications campaign
aimed at helping people over 60, who might be especially vulnerable to the impact of COVID, to
stay self and well.

Primary care – Be kind – In response to increasing incidents of unacceptable behaviour, we are
developing an insight-led campaign to tackle abuse of primary care colleagues, which has
attracted interest and additional funding from the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership to
enable it to be scaled up across the region.

We have also supported the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership with several regional
campaigns, including Root out Racism, Healthy Hearts (cardiovascular disease awareness) and Looking
out for our Neighbours (social isolation).

  • In addition, we continue to support national health and awareness campaigns and initiatives including
    World Mental Health Day, Black History, National Cholesterol and Breast Cancer Awareness months.
    City/regional meetings and representation – communications and involvement colleagues continue to
    hold key roles as part of the West Yorkshire and citywide networks.
  • COVID-19 – we continue to take a lead role in supporting Leeds system with clear and consistent
    communications about coronavirus and the vaccination programme, sharing key updates with system
    communications leads via a weekly digest. During this period, we have promoted and provided resources
    for the roving bus and a number of pop up and walk-in clinics, including those for students and women
    only. We have also ensured that the most current information about new initiatives including boosters and
    vaccinations for 12-15 year olds, is available on our website and promoted through our social media. To
    help increase take up amongst under 25 year olds, we have also developed a campaign targeted at young
    people. This has been scaled up for use across West Yorkshire and will go live in November.
  • Internal communications – we have continued our regular (twice weekly) briefings for primary care and
    CCG staff and support our chief executive with a monthly team briefs via Microsoft Teams Live.
    Primary care communications – we support practices by providing patient-facing materials, social media
    advice and media relations guidance, including press releases to highlight good news stories.
  • System pressures – We continue to develop communications to address the significant pressures
    experienced by the city’s health and care providers. In addition, involvement colleagues have gathered
    insight from Leeds GP practice staff and patients attending Leeds’ emergency departments, which
    contributes to wider work to address current system demand.

We are working on a programme of communications, which includes proactive PR with local media (jointly agreed media messaging), as well as targeted messaging and tactics– using our insight to target appropriately. We are also working to pull future communications together under the umbrella of a WY campaign currently being developed ‘Together we can.’

There has been a WY-wide system pressure ‘open letter’ issued to stakeholders and local media.
We were involved in the development of those messages, which include seven core things all
people can do to help with the pressures, whilst also accessing health and care when they need it.

  • Winter planning – we continue to work colleagues across the city to ensure clear, consistent and effective communications during this period of unprecedented pressure on health and care services. We are developing a campaign schedule for the winter focused on three pillars: staying well, choosing well, valuing our workforce. These will remain our three key campaign priorities over the winter.
  • Transition to ICS – as the CCG prepares to become part of the new statutory integrated care system on
    1 April 2021, the team are working with colleagues to help ensure a consistent approach.

Involvement activity

As a result of the ongoing pandemic, most of our involvement activities currently take place online.

  • Aberford – Proposed branch surgery closure – the public engagement was live from 13 September until 15 October and received 278 responses. Garforth Medical Practice is writing the engagement report which will then go to PCOG at the end of November.
  • Big Leeds Chat – Our team continues to support this year’s Big Leeds Chat. We have been attending the local chats as ‘chatmakers’, speaking with members of the public. We are commissioning an evaluation of the approach to involving people using the Big Leeds Chat method.
  • Citywide involvement network – work is continuing to deliver a framework for the citywide network
    with a preferred provider now identified.
  • Community Mental Health Transformation funding –We continue to support LYPFT with this work and have recruited volunteers for four different involvement workstreams. The engagement plan was presented at October’s PAG meeting where it received assurance.
  • Community Neuro Rehab service redesign – The engagement closed in September. The feedback report was completed and will help shape the new service model. Patient and carer feedback was presented at a scrutiny meeting in early October. Once the draft service model is completed we will meet with commissioners to identify “you said we dids” in December and share with stakeholders.
  • COVID-19 vaccination experience survey – 6170 responses received by 29 Oct 2021. Together with the CCG Business Intelligence team and LTHT partners, we are preparing a tender for external analysis of the LTHT and CCG survey responses (around 27,000 in total).
  • Grey Literature Library and Insight Repository – The seconded role to support this work finished in October. Involvement team members are now taking this forward.
  • Leeds Voices – A survey of Engaging Voices partners closed in October having received 9 responses. The Involvement Team began preparations to begin citywide conversations – 2 workshops are planned for November with a follow up session in early Feb.
  • Networked Data Lab – we are providing involvement input to this national programme to deliver data-driven insights on common problems facing the health and care system. Research on topic 2, inequalities accessing mental health care for children and young people, runs until December. The publication report for topic 1 launched on 20 October.
  • Planned and long-term care procurements – dermatology procurement went to tender in August and will be reviewed in November. out to tender. The ENT/Audiology procurement is awaiting sign off on some changes and a Combined Impact Assessment has been completed. Patient participation groups (PPGs) – we continue to support PPGs.
  • Youth project –This engagement closed in September. We heard from 39 young people. During November we will sense check the key themes before creating the youth charter.

Upcoming activity

  • ABPI workshops – We are working with our partners in the city to run two workshops in mid-November considering how best to develop our approach to Asset-Based Public Involvement to take forward the work from Leeds Voices post December 2021.
  • Aberford proposed branch surgery closure – the application for closure (including the engagement report) will be considered at PCOG on 11 November.
  • Campaigns – we will continue to work with colleagues to develop campaigns that support the Leeds system and our patients. This includes further work to develop the next stage of our ongoing antimicrobial resistance campaign, Seriously Resistant, which we deliver in partnership with the local NHS and Leeds City Council. We will also be developing the Leeds and West Yorkshire primary care ‘Be kind’ campaign as well as launching the UTC campaign.
  • CCG volunteer programme – the annual review of the is taking place at the end of November/beginning of December.
  • COVID-19 – we will continue to support the Leeds system with clear and consistent communications
    about coronavirus and the vaccination programme.
  • Falls work – An engagement is planned for November/December to engage with patients, and the wider community, on their understanding of the Falls service. This will help sense-check preferred locations of some services offered following changes due to the pandemic.
  • Integrated Care Board Constitution engagement – we will be supporting the WY Health and Care Partnership by engaging with Leeds stakeholders on the ICB constitution.
  • PPG support – We will be working with 10 practices to support them to set up their PPG email and start using it to communicate with patients. We will review the pilot in January 2022 ahead of a citywide rollout.
  • Winter pressures – as the health and care system in Leeds faces increasing pressure over the coming months, we will continue to work with colleagues across the city to ensure clear, consistent and effective communications so that people understand how services may be affected and how they can help.