A podcast approach to thought leadership

Summary

Newcross Healthcare, a UK-wide health and social care staffing provider, commissioned Blue Lozenge to develop a media and PR strategy to establish thought leadership and promote their “Voices of Care” podcast. Blue Lozenge identified high-profile industry guests, aligned episode topics with sector news, developed compelling content, and generated targeted media stories from each episode. The strategy secured 90 pieces of media coverage across national, regional, and trade publications, including six placements in national and global titles such as The Guardian and 10 articles in high-profile trade publications.

Using media to maximise brand reach for healthcare staffing provider

Newcross Healthcare, a UK-wide supplier of health and social care staff, sought to establish themselves as thought leaders and champions of the care sector. They needed to develop their industry relationships through strategic communications, with a particular focus on launching and promoting their “Voices of Care” podcast to position the organisation at the forefront of sector discussions.

Approach

Blue Lozenge developed a comprehensive media and PR strategy targeting national, regional, and trade publications to drive podcast engagement and enhance brand visibility. Our approach included:

  • Identifying and securing high-profile industry guests
  • Aligning podcast topics with emerging news and key sector challenges
  • Supporting research and development of compelling episode content
  • Creating distinctive story arcs with media-worthy discussion points
  • Responding to current events, including healthcare worker industrial action
  • Generating targeted news stories from each episode to attract new listeners

By positioning each podcast episode as a newsworthy event, we created a continuous cycle of media coverage that expanded the podcast’s reach and reinforced Newcross Healthcare’s thought leadership position.

Impact

Our strategy delivered exceptional results:

  • 90 pieces of media coverage generated
  • 6 placements in national/global publications including The Guardian
  • 44 features in key regional titles including The Yorkshire Post
  • 10 articles in high-profile trade publications like The Carer

This extensive coverage significantly expanded the podcast’s audience and strengthened Newcross Healthcare’s brand presence among potential clients and industry influencers.

“Blue Lozenge are experts in developing PR plans and strategies that deliver results. They took time to understand our business, combined with their knowledge of the media landscape and the health and care sector they helped our podcast reach a broader audience. We also valued their consultancy advice and expertise on our social media approach and the podcast content.”

Suhail Mirza – Non-executive director, Newcross Healthcare

Supporting service change in the NHS

Summary

North Middlesex University Hospital (North Mid) commissioned Blue Lozenge to provide strategic communications support for the transfer of Enfield Community Services from Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust. Blue Lozenge developed a core narrative, welcome materials, digital updates, and stakeholder communication channels, while supporting employee engagement events and delivering community engagement workshops. The programme addressed three objectives: operational effectiveness, community reassurance, and stakeholder confidence. The transition was completed successfully, with the work also strengthening North Mid’s internal capacity for future community engagement and co-production.

Providing strategic communications to support NHS community service transfer

North Middlesex University Hospital (North Mid) was making a major change, taking responsibility for Enfield Community Services (ECS), which had previously been run by Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust. The leadership team needed to ensure that incoming staff felt welcomed, patients understood the changes, and the transition process proceeded smoothly. Three core objectives guided the project: achieve operational effectiveness, reassure and advocate among the community, and secure reputation among stakeholders.

Approach

Blue Lozenge developed a comprehensive communication strategy focused on making the transition seamless:

  • Created a core narrative emphasizing welcome and value for ECS staff
  • Developed welcome booklets and branded boxes providing crucial information
  • Supported employee engagement events with robust feedback mechanisms
  • Coordinated site visits from ECS leaders for face-to-face engagement
  • Published clear, consistent updates across digital platforms
  • Delivered community engagement workshops to address identified skills gaps
  • Established ongoing stakeholder communication channels

Our approach balanced immediate transition needs with building long-term engagement capabilities within the North Mid communications team.

Impact

The project successfully integrated ECS into North Mid while achieving all key objectives:

  • Operational effectiveness through clear narratives and information resources
  • Community reassurance via consistent communication and enhanced engagement capabilities
  • Secured stakeholder confidence through regular updates and visible leadership

The communication strategy not only facilitated a smooth transition but also strengthened North Mid’s capacity for future community co-production and engagement.

“Blue Lozenge helped scope a proportional and affordable package of support, and mobilised this very quickly… I felt really well supported and that Blue Lozenge colleagues were a genuine extension of our in-house team. Their support was responsive, high-quality and well executed… In nearly two years, I have not seen or heard my CEO stop a meeting mid-flow and call out a brilliant comms job, and I know that the input of Blue Lozenge was instrumental in achieving this.”

Georgie Agass, Head of Communications, Engagement and Fundraising, North Mid

Healthcare communications for vulnerable children

Summary

Childhood First, a charity providing therapeutic services for traumatised children, commissioned Blue Lozenge to develop a comprehensive communication strategy to support their five-year corporate plan. Blue Lozenge conducted a discovery phase including stakeholder interviews and document analysis, followed by a communications audit, stakeholder mapping, audience segmentation, narrative development, and content and channel planning. The resulting communication strategy included short, medium, and long-term deliverables alongside an advocacy strategy with implementation guidance, enabling Childhood First to build a stronger external profile and increase their impact for vulnerable children and young people.

Developing a comprehensive communication strategy to raise the profile of a children’s charity

Childhood First, a charity providing therapeutic services for traumatised children, needed a comprehensive communication strategy to support their new five-year corporate plan. The organisation sought to balance sustainable growth with developing a stronger external profile to increase their impact for vulnerable young people.

Approach

Using our design thinking methodology at Blue Lozenge, we began with a thorough discovery phase—interviewing stakeholders and analysing key documents to understand the landscape and challenges. Our research identified the need for formal internal and external communication mechanisms across the charity.

We developed a complete communication framework including:

  • Short, medium and long-term strategic deliverables
  • Comprehensive communications audit
  • Detailed stakeholder mapping and audience segmentation
  • Compelling narrative and key message development
  • Targeted content and channel planning
  • Advocacy strategy with implementation guidance

Impact

The project delivered an ambitious yet practical communication strategy that enables Childhood First to maximise the benefits of structured communication. This new approach directly supports their corporate goals and will help them increase their impact for the children and young people in their care.

“Blue Lozenge supported us to develop a communications and engagement strategy that will help us meet our ambitions for the children and young people we care for now and in the future. Their approach provided as with a solid plan to implement a formal communications and engagement mechanism within the charity at a pace that suited us.”

Gary Yexley – Chief Executive, Childhood First