Youth-centred communication and engagement strategy

Summary

Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board commissioned Blue Lozenge to develop a co-designed communication and engagement strategy to improve children and young people’s access to mental health services. Blue Lozenge placed young people at the centre of the methodology, conducting focus groups in schools and youth councils, engaging parents, carers, and education staff, and consulting mental health service providers. The resulting strategy was grounded in evidence and insight, accompanied by a pragmatic one-year implementation plan. The strategy provides Kent and Medway ICB with a framework to address communication gaps and improve mental health service access for children and young people across the region.

Co-designed communication strategy to help transform children’s access to mental health support

Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board faced escalating demand for children and young people’s mental health services, compounded by feedback about poor communication around available services. They needed a transformative communication and engagement strategy that would help vulnerable young people access appropriate mental health support when they needed it most. 

Approach

Blue Lozenge placed the voices of children and young people at the centre of our methodology: 

  • Involved young people throughout the entire process, beginning with co-scoring the project bid 
  • Conducted targeted focus groups with children and young people in schools and youth councils 
  • Engaged education workforce, parents, and carers to understand their unique perspectives 
  • Consulted mental health service providers to identify operational challenges and opportunities 
  • Collaborated with the local communications network to leverage existing strengths 
  • Analysed national research on youth mental health communication preferences 
  • Developed a comprehensive strategy grounded in insights and evidence 
  • Created a pragmatic one-year implementation plan with achievable milestones 

This multi-stakeholder approach ensured our strategy addressed the patient journey holistically, identifying and resolving communication gaps that previously prevented young people from accessing vital services. 

Impact

The resulting strategy represents a breakthrough in children’s mental health communication, providing Kent and Medway ICB with a roadmap for delivering world-class engagement. Beyond the strategic framework, our practical implementation plan ensures incremental progress toward improved mental health outcomes for children and young people across the region. 

Most importantly, by redesigning communication pathways based directly on young people’s input, the strategy will help vulnerable youth navigate and access mental health services more effectively, potentially transforming outcomes during critical developmental stages. 

 

From start to finish Blue Lozenge shared our vision for creating a first-class strategy that had the voices of children and young people at its heart, while being ground in insight, evidence and research. Blue Lozenge’s professional, expert and pragmatic approach to the project meant they felt like an extended part of our team, working together to deliver a vital piece of work. We wouldn’t hesitate to work with Blue Lozenge again.

Sue Mullin, Associate Director: Children’s Mental Health 

 

Maximising virtual ward capacity

Summary

South East London Integrated Care Board commissioned Blue Lozenge to design and facilitate a strategic summit aimed at increasing virtual ward utilisation and system-wide buy-in ahead of winter 2023/24. Blue Lozenge co-designed an interactive event bringing together acute, virtual ward, and community teams, developing patient and clinician case studies, facilitating cross-system discussions, and managing all logistics. The summit achieved a 63% conversion rate of targeted invitees, with 51% of attendees reporting increased ability to identify suitable virtual ward referrals and 73% committing to apply new knowledge in practice. Summit outputs were incorporated into NHS England submissions and local winter planning.

Facilitating impactful operational and clinical conversations

South East London’s NHS winter plan included implementing and increasing virtual wards to reduce
pressure on physical facilities. While virtual ward programs existed across Local Care Partnerships,
they faced varying occupancy levels with limited referrals from acute settings. The SEL virtual ward
team needed to enhance system-wide buy-in, increase utilization, and maximize capacity to support
acute patient flow for winter 2023/24.

Approach

Blue Lozenge designed and facilitated a strategic summit bringing together acute, virtual ward, and community teams.

Our comprehensive approach included:

  • Co-designing an interactive and engaging event to meet specific objectives
  • Providing strategic advice on content based on local and national context
  • Creating sessions to enhance understanding on the virtual ward model
  • Facilitating discussions between clinical, service management and ICB colleagues
  • Developing patient and clinician case studies for practical context
  • Utilising digital tools to maximise engagement and participation
  • Managing all logistics including venue selection, invitations, event management
  • Producing detailed reporting for system-wide implementation
  • Our experienced event engagement team handled all communications and logistics, freeing the ICB team to focus on stakeholder engagement and content delivery.

Impact

The summit achieved impressive results:

 

  • 63% conversion rate of targeted invitees with nearly 60 colleagues attending
  • 51% of attendees reported increased ability to identify suitable virtual ward referrals
  • 73% committed to applying their new knowledge in practice
  • Each locality developed concrete implementation actions for winter preparedness
  • Summit outputs were integrated into NHS England submissions and local winter planning.

 

Most importantly, the event built crucial understanding and trust in virtual ward services across different parts of the healthcare system, laying groundwork for improved patient flow during the challenging winter period.


“Just what I needed! Despite limited time leading up to the event, Blue Lozenge helped to prepare
and facilitate a professionally run summit. Facilitation on the day was spot-on and took into
consideration the diversity and experiences of multiple stakeholders and in doing so ensured delivery
of our desired outcomes and outputs. Feedback from stakeholders was enthusiastic all around and I
would recommend Blue Lozenge.”

Ekuba Edjah, Assistant Director – South East London Virtual Wards

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