BAYS

Engaging a business audience on an emotionally charged subject

NHS

The challenge:

Faced with the need to deliver major infrastructure change and service improvement the NHS Eastern Region needed full support of management, clinicians and support staff. The goal was to create advocates to support change at all levels within the organisation. With limited budget and few tangible solutions available to show, an engaging way to win over a diverse audience was needed quickly.

The solution:

With no 'new model' available to demonstrate the benefits of the changeover, we switched the focus to the customer. By developing a true-to-life cancer patient journey, we could highlight the disjointed aspects of the treatment framework.

The dramatic story was adapted into a play and first shown to an diverse audience with competing goals and agendas; senior managers, administrators, IT management and senior clinical staff. Unaware of what they were about to experience, the audience were left in stunned silence following the performance. Then a remarkable thing happened; people stood up, gave whistles and rapturous applause. The message had hit home.

The benefit:

The play 'toured' a number Strategic Health Authorities and was widely used as a video presentation and prompt for discussions. Each audience saw how their participation could positively impact the patient journey and where synergy and collaboration was desperately needed. The story and play provided a highly cost effective communication solution in an environment where budgets were in the spotlight.