NHS Medway Clinical Commissioning Group – planning and buying healthcare services for the Medway Towns

A healthy level of communication

Brief

• To provide a proactive and reactive media relations service, including acting as a press office for NHS Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
• To engage with patients, GPs, providers, Public Health, MPs, local councillors and all other stakeholders in the local community, seeking opinion and encouraging behaviour change where appropriate.

Results and highlights

• Maxim worked as part of Medway CCG’s communications and engagement team from 2016 until 2020, when the CCG merged with seven others to become NHS Kent and Medway CCG.
• Maxim was the first point of call for all media enquiries and would always respond in a timely manner, often resulting in a more balanced story.
• Promotion of positive stories, patient engagement and changes to services, liaising with local stakeholders as appropriate. A strong relationship was also built with related communications teams at Medway Council, NHS Medway Foundation Trust and NHS England.   
• Provision of strategic advice, as well as operational assistance, to senior members of the executive team and commissioners.
• Provision of highly valued crisis communications support. Maxim was also brought in to assist a nearby CCG when the Care Quality Commission (CQC) took action at a local GP surgery.  
• Production of posters, leaflets, engagement documents and surveys, as well as the CCG’s annual report summary. This involved summarising the main report, drafting additional copy and arranging design and print.