Putting patient safety in the spotlight

Supporting the Patient Safety Commissioner with a high-profile campaign for redress for patients
The challenge

For too long, patients harmed by pelvic mesh and the medicine valproate have been waiting for a Government response to a report by the Patient Safety Commissioner, Professor Henrietta Hughes. The Hughes Report, published in February 2024, followed earlier advice in October 2023, examining the harm caused to an estimated 10,000 women, and their families, affected by these interventions. On the second anniversary of her report publication, the Patient Safety Commissioner wanted support to significantly raise the profile of her enquiry to the Government about their intended response. As Professor Hughes said: “Patients’ lives don’t grind to a halt while Government departments debate jurisdiction and timelines.”

The strategy

The Patient Safety Commissioner had previously spent time lobbying Government ministers, writing to and meeting them, asking for an update on the steps taken by ministers and officials to respond to the report and its ten recommendations on redress. Despite receiving some acknowledgements during this time, no commitment to action had been obtained. In February 2026, Professor Hughes took the call for action to Number 10 Downing Street, supported by our public relations campaign.

Approach

A carefully planned media strategy was developed and delivered which achieved media coverage across national broadsheets, broadcast and healthcare journals. The strategy aimed to highlight the need for the Government to agree a concrete timeline for both financial and non-financial redress. In support, we developed social media content, articulating a clear message around a complex issue. We stayed in constant touch with the Patient Safety Commissioner as responses began to come through from the corridors of power, updating the statements accordingly.

Alongside our targeted public relations activity on marking the report anniversary, we supported the Patient Safety Commissioner with complementary work on a brand re-fresh of the corporate presentation slides, identification of events and speaking opportunities, and the development of web and social media content, including Canva assets, to help maintain the profile of the PSC office.

Impact

Our media work around the Hughes Report second anniversary delivered significant cut-through – achieving coverage across the Sunday Times, ITV, Guardian, BMJ and Pharmaceutical Journal, reaching an estimated 3.5 million people. In support, two posts by the Commissioner on LinkedIn gained 9,000 impressions, 190 likes/reactions, 11 comments and 24 reposts. The campaign successfully positioned the Commissioner’s call for concrete Government action on redress.

“The Blue Lozenge team all worked very hard in support of my call for redress, clarifying and amplifying the message. I am hopeful that this oxygen of publicity will at some point very soon help achieve the response we need and the implementation of all the report’s vital recommendations. As I said within my statement, I will not stop holding Government to account until this is resolved for the patients and families harmed.” – Professor Henrietta Hughes, Patient Safety Commissioner

If you need support with public relations and campaign communications management, contact us at hello@bluelozenge.co.uk

Media training for public health leaders

Helping public health professionals deliver clear, confident messages under pressure

Working with the media plays an important role for any organisation. Blue Lozenge worked with the public health teams from both Reading Borough Council and West Berkshire Council to train team members in both proactive and reactive media relations in preparation for managing public health campaigns and crises.

Approach

When developing bespoke media training, we create a package designed to meet each client’s unique needs. For the Reading and West Berkshire Public Health team, this involved building confidence to engage with the media during health protection challenges, disease outbreaks, and other public health events. We asked each participant to answer a pre-training questionnaire, which provided us with insight into how each participant felt about media training and their current strengths and weaknesses. There are three key areas we covered:

  1. The media landscape

Throughout the media training, we provided a thorough understanding of the media landscape and identified the key audiences for both public health teams and good and bad practices when handling the media.

2. Narrative and messaging

We worked with both public health teams to help refine their current messaging and ensure its suitability for media use.

  • Practical skills and techniques

Each participant undertook multiple interviews to simulate interactions with different media outlets on a range of different issues. The idea of this is to help each individual build up their confidence and practice their responses to a range of different questions.

Outcome

The media training equipped both Reading Borough Council and West Berkshire Council’s public health teams with the confidence and skills to deliver clear, authoritative messages during critical public health events. Participants developed strong foundational knowledge of media relations, refined messaging techniques, and gained practical experience through realistic interview simulations.

This enhanced capability will enable the teams to proactively engage with media outlets during health campaigns and respond effectively to crisis situations, ensuring accurate public health information reaches communities while preventing the spread of misinformation. The training created a sustainable foundation for ongoing media engagement, with team members now able to represent their organisations professionally and communicate complex public health messages in accessible ways that build public trust and understanding.

If you need support with media training for your team, please contact us at: hello@bluelozenge.co.uk

Strategic PR support for private healthcare companies

Summary

Darwin Group commissioned Blue Lozenge to reposition their media presence from construction trade press to healthcare publications, targeting NHS decision-makers including chief executives, finance directors, and estates leads. Blue Lozenge refined Darwin Group’s messaging to address NHS estates challenges, developed a focused healthcare PR strategy, and led media engagement across specialist health titles and regional and national outlets. The strategy delivered Darwin Group’s first earned media coverage in key healthcare trade publications, significantly increasing their share of voice among NHS stakeholders and establishing their reputation as a trusted commentator on healthcare estates challenges.

Helping Darwin Group access the health and care sector through strategic PR

The Darwin Group had historically concentrated their media relations on the construction trade press that aligned with their industry background but didn’t reach their target audience; NHS and healthcare decision-makers, who engage with specialist health media and mainstream news.

They set out to build credibility with NHS stakeholders and position themselves not just as builders, but as partners in solving health system pressures.

To support their business goals, the Darwin Group needed to reposition themselves in the media landscape moving from a construction-focused narrative to one that spoke directly to healthcare priorities, particularly as estates face major challenges of deteriorating buildings, corridor care and reduced budgets.

Approach

Blue Lozenge worked with Darwin Group to refine their messaging, ensuring it addressed the urgent challenges facing the NHS and demonstrated how their fast-deployable modular solutions could deliver meaningful impact.

We worked closely to shape a focused healthcare PR strategy and lead their media engagement, across both specialist health titles and regional and national outlets. A key part of the approach involved upskilling the Darwin Group team on the value of earned media, and how strategic PR could drive credibility and influence.

We established clear and consistent messaging for their public relations, tailoring it for an external healthcare audience while ensuring alignment with broader business goals.

Through a proactive outreach, responsive commentary, and targeted media engagement, the Darwin Group strengthened its reputation and began to be recognised as a trusted voice on healthcare estates challenges, positioning themselves as a go-to commentator for health sector estates media.

Impact

The PR strategy developed by Blue Lozenge delivered the Darwin Group’s first-ever earned media coverage in key healthcare trade publications, marking a significant shift in visibility with their target audience. This, alongside continued presence in construction media, elevated their profile among NHS decision-makers, including chief executives, finance directors, and estates leads.

As a result, Darwin Group significantly increased their share of voice within the healthcare sector and established a credible position as experts in NHS estates and capacity solutions. Media relationships built through the programme have opened doors for ongoing coverage, and as the national conversation around NHS infrastructure continues, Darwin Group is now recognised as a trusted voice on the future of healthcare estates.

“Blue Lozenge’s deep knowledge of the NHS and health and care sector has been invaluable in helping us shape our media relations strategy and approach. They supported us to shift our messaging so it speaks directly to healthcare decision-makers and keeps patient needs at the centre.

“Their strategic PR guidance has raised our profile in the sector and helped us start meaningful conversations with key stakeholders across the NHS.”

Hayley Smith, Director of Strategy and Transformation at the Darwin Group

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