How do I get a comment on my blog? Five practical examples of what’s worked for us
August 31st - 2010
Writing a blog is hard enough. But at least once it’s up, comments will come flooding in. Right? Wrong! This is perhaps the most su...
All UK patients are paying for NHS service
He said: I've started a number of NHS strategic marketing days by asking managers about their patients concerns. Invariably these are about cancelled operations, whether they will get MRSA in hospital, is their ward dirty?
There is huge advocacy for the NHS in principle which many businesses would give a lot for but patients worry about issues such as MRSA and whether they will catch it if they go to hospital. In many ways, these should be the easiest problems to solve.
He adds: What has come out of the sessions is how very important it is for front line staff, such as doctors and nurses, to work with professional managers. Everyone accepts that the NHS needs to have professional managers it is too large and complex to be run by practitioners. But those delivering patient care must be part of a joined-up team in agreeing the objectives and the best way to achieve them.
Julian recognises the difficulties of decision making in healthcare, particularly when government changes can affect direction from year to year.
There are immensely complicated issues, he adds. You always have to start with the patient and look at their needs. But which needs are most strategically important? Take reducing the rise in obesity, for example. There is only so much money that can be spent.
Do you focus on the 0 - 10 year olds and their parents and fix a future problem rather than trying to fix a situation after the damage has already been done? It's already happened in part with smoking.
He believes the critical factors to achieve a step change in the NHS are to plan up to 20 years ahead; integrate front line health professionals into planning and decision-making without adding to their workloads; and manage and deliver patient expectations better, trying where possible to prevent customers from becoming patients.
Julian Rawel is speaking at the Health Service Journal's NHS Marketing Forum 2009 in London on 13 October on how to understand patients and their needs to shape future services.
Contact: Julian Rawel .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
