Putting patient experience at the heart of change

Summary

NHS England commissioned Blue Lozenge to deliver a patient journey mapping workshop to support the development of minimum communication standards for patients waiting for elective care. With over 7 million people on elective waiting lists, Blue Lozenge designed and facilitated a full-day workshop bringing together NHS England staff, stakeholders, and people with lived experience. Drawing on Blue Lozenge’s Navigation Pulse programme, the workshop covered patient understanding techniques, practical journey mapping, and action planning. Participants identified six key action areas and received immediate implementation resources including a journey mapping canvas and pathway analysis frameworks.

Building NHS England’s capacity for patient-centred elective care improvement

NHS England commissioned Blue Lozenge to deliver an introductory workshop on patient journey mapping methodology to support the development of minimum standards for patients waiting for elective care.

With over 7 million people on elective care waiting lists and 42% dissatisfied with communication during waits, NHS England’s national team needed practical understanding of journey mapping techniques and pathways for translating patient feedback into actionable service standards that could be implemented across the NHS and health carer sector.

Approach

We designed and facilitated a comprehensive full-day intensive workshop bringing together NHS England team members, stakeholders and people with lived experience of care. We used our Navigation Pulse programme to inform the workshop, developing the group’s understanding of how to listen to patients and how to use feedback to drive improvements. This included patient understanding techniques, practical journey mapping, and action planning. We included people with personal experience sharing with participants, which brought authenticity to theoretical frameworks.

Impact

The workshop successfully equipped the NHS England team with practical patient journey mapping skills and established a strategic foundation for transformative elective care improvement. Participants identified six key action areas including discovery research, data integration, administrative standardisation, organisational culture change, strategic focus, and policy development. The session provided immediate implementation resources including patient journey mapping canvas, insight principles, and pathway analysis frameworks, while creating a shared vision for patient-centred healthcare transformation that improves experience while enhancing system efficiency.

“These inputs have been a breath of fresh air and there is lots I can take back to my trust. Understanding the patient personas and data gaps – that was really helpful.”

NHS England Workshop Participant

Supporting NHS service change

Summary

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

Strategic communication for major healthcare reorganisation

North Middlesex University Hospital (North Mid) was undertaking a major service change, transferring Enfield Community Services (ECS) from 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 Middlesex University Hospital

Building strategic NHS and health system partnerships

Summary

Barnardo’s commissioned Blue Lozenge to support stakeholder engagement across integrated care systems to recruit three ICS partners for a co-designed Children and Young People’s Health Equity framework. Blue Lozenge developed a comprehensive engagement strategy including six targeted contact databases, a mobile-optimised expression of interest form, two strategic webinars, and robust analytics across all channels. The campaign generated 2,291 campaign link clicks, 4,574 event page views, and 15 expressions of interest from qualified ICS partners, while positioning Barnardo’s as a thought leader in children’s health equity among Directors of Children’s Services, Public Health leads, and ICS executive teams.

Supporting Barnardo’s engagement with Integrated Care Systems for children’s health equity

Barnardo’s was partnering with the Institute of Health Equity to shape how Integrated Care Systems address health inequalities among children and young people. Through an expression of interest process, they sought to partner with three ICSs to co-design a Children and Young People’s Health Equity framework as a live tool for measuring and effecting the contribution of VCSE and wider statutory partners to ICS programmes.

The challenge extended beyond simple recruitment. Barnardo’s required strategic relationship building across the complex landscape of integrated care systems, whilst simultaneously raising their profile as a vital partner in health and care delivery. This necessitated navigation of multiple stakeholder groups, each with distinct priorities, communication preferences, and decision-making processes within the healthcare ecosystem.

Approach

Blue Lozenge developed a comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategy that combined targeted relationship building, digital engagement platforms, and strategic event delivery to connect Barnardo’s with decision-makers across the integrated care system landscape.

We created six meticulously researched contact databases, with contacts relevant to Barnardo’s strategic objectives. Recognising the need to simplify the stakeholder experience, we developed a user-friendly online expression of interest form that was fully optimised for mobile devices. This digital-first approach removed barriers to participation whilst ensuring Barnardo’s could efficiently process and analyse submissions from potential partners.

We designed and delivered two strategic webinars that served multiple purposes: educating stakeholders about the programme’s value proposition, creating networking opportunities, and providing a platform for direct engagement with Barnardo’s leadership team. Our approach included comprehensive Eventbrite setup and promotion to maximise ongoing engagement. We implemented robust analytics across all channels to track engagement, measure success, and provide Barnardo’s with actionable insights about their audience and campaign performance.

Impact

This project successfully generated significant engagement across the Integrated Care System landscape, creating valuable strategic connections and substantially elevating Barnardo’s profile within the health and care sector. We achieved, 2,291 campaign link clicks demonstrating strong interest, 4,574 event page views showing extensive reach, and 15 expressions of interest received from qualified ICS partners.

The campaign’s success extended beyond numerical metrics. By strategically engaging Directors of Children’s Services, Public Health leads, and ICS executive teams, we positioned Barnardo’s as a thought leader in children’s health equity. The personalised approach to stakeholder mapping and outreach resulted in meaningful expressions of interest from qualified partners and elevated Barnardo’s visibility in national healthcare conversations, establishing lasting relationships that extended well beyond the initial campaign objectives.

Sustainable workforce engagement

Summary

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust commissioned Blue Lozenge to establish sustainable communication foundations following CQC-identified improvement needs in leadership visibility and staff engagement. Serving over 2 million people with 7,500 staff across multiple local authorities, the Trust needed an evidence-based approach at a critical point of strategic renewal. Blue Lozenge conducted a comprehensive discovery programme including channel audits, intranet review, workforce surveys, and board sessions. The programme delivered a findings report with prioritised recommendations, secured board buy-in, and informed the Trust’s ongoing communication and engagement strategy.

Creating communication foundations for a NHS mental health trust

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust had grown significantly, serving over 2 million people with over 7,500 staff across multiple local authorities. CQC reports identified improvement needs in leadership visibility, staff communication and engagement processes. At a critical point of refreshing their strategy and mission, the trust urgently needed sustainable communication foundations.

Approach & communications strategy

We embarked on a thorough discovery programme to understand the organisation, its audiences, and channels. This provided an evidence base against which to provide recommendations for improvement. Our work programme included:

  • Reviewing strategic plans and data points including existing channels and content, employee survey results
  • Intranet review and channel audit working with existing suppliers and other internal communication channel metrics.
  • Design and creation of a workforce and stakeholder survey.
  • Development and presentation of a comprehensive report detailing our findings and recommendations broken into quick wins, medium term actions and long-term priorities.
  • Board sessions to ensure alignment of directors with the programme of recommended actions alongside operational priorities.

Outcome

  • Our programme of work at Blue Lozenge helped to inform the ongoing communication and engagement strategy, providing valuable insight into what was needed to improve communication and engagement with the public and the workforce.
  • We developed structured conversations around specific areas of focus and we were able to reach employees from across the organisation ranging from the executive team through to front line employees
  • We secured buy-in from the Board to work through the final recommendations supporting the communication and engagement team to deliver.

Communication to help a health charity have impact

Summary

Gold Standard Frameworks (GSF), a provider of end-of-life care training services, commissioned Blue Lozenge to refresh its communications approach and increase visibility and revenue. Blue Lozenge conducted a comprehensive communication audit, refreshed GSF’s visual identity, developed audience-specific messaging, redesigned website navigation, replaced manual booking processes, and converted blog content into LinkedIn thought leadership pieces. A programme of virtual events for integrated care system leaders was also delivered. The work generated significant results including a 51% increase in training bookings, 37% rise in expressions of interest, 215% growth in social media click-throughs, and a 100% increase in unique monthly pageviews.

Communication review, strategy development and comms delivery to boost a health charities visibility and engagement

Gold Standard Frameworks (GSF), a provider of end-of-life care training services, needed a new approach to asserting itself in national conversations and refreshing its communication approach in a digital age. They wanted to influence national policy and attract more income through it’s training offer.

Approach

Blue Lozenge supported GSF with a comprehensive communication audit. This identified areas for improvement in GSF’s online user journeys and public-facing platforms. As a result we refreshed GSF’s visual identity by creating digitally optimised assets and developing audience-specific messaging it’s different markets, for example domiciliary care and commissioners.

To increase the charity’s revenue, we redesigned the website navigation, replaced manual booking processes and converted existing blog content into LinkedIn thought leadership pieces to reach professional audiences. Finally, we raised GSF’s profile by delivering a programme of virtual events for integrated care system leaders.

Impact

GSF achieved immediate and dramatic year-on-year improvements. Expressions of interest increased by 37%, training bookings rose by 51%, referral traffic grew by 30%, social media click-throughs jumped by 215%, unique monthly pageviews doubled by 100%, bounce rate decreased by 20 percentage points to 46%, and exit rate fell by 50%. These results positioned GSF for continued growth and enhanced impact in the end-of-life care sector.

“Efficient, knowledgeable and professional are all key words I would use to describe Blue Lozenge. The Blue Lozenge team showed a deep understanding of the health and care sector and created compelling content with a consistent voice that would resonate with our target audience. Blue Lozenge helped us streamline systems and processes, ensuring that tasks were completed effectively and efficiently. We at GSF very much appreciated Blue Lozenge’s collaborative approach and willingness to impart knowledge and resources in order to achieve our combined objectives.”

Ann-Marie, Marketing Coordinator, GSF

 

Inclusive event support

Summary

Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board commissioned Blue Lozenge to support an inclusive pre-engagement event informing a new strategy for people with learning disabilities and autism. Blue Lozenge established a working group including people with lived experience, alongside partners the Autistic Alliance and Learning Disabilities England, to develop and review fully inclusive communication materials. Established ICB networks were used to reach target audiences and gather information on attendance support needs. The event attracted over 90 in-person attendees, achieving the 50% lived experience target, with a further 53 people contributing through online pre-engagement.

Engaging people with lived experience in shaping healthcare strategy

Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) wanted to hold an inclusive pre-engagement event to support the development of their new strategy for people with learning disabilities and autism. They needed at least 50% of attendees to be people with lived experience, while also involving care professionals. The challenge was ensuring all communication materials were fully inclusive so the main audience could be heard, engage meaningfully with the event and the pre-engagement process.

Approach to create an inclusive and engaging event

Blue Lozenge established a working group including people with learning disabilities and people with autism, alongside partners like the Autistic Alliance and Learning Disabilities England. We developed all communication material and worked with the group to review this. We engaged with Kent and Medway ICB’s established networks to directly reach target audiences and gathered information about support needs for attendance. Working with our group, we developed inclusive communication materials for both professionals and people with lived experience, plus online engagement tools for those unable to attend in person.

Impact

The event exceeded expectations with over 90 people attending in person, achieving exactly 50% attendance from people with learning disabilities and people with autism. An additional 53 people contributed through online pre-engagement, providing comprehensive input for strategy development. This inclusive approach ensured meaningful participation from those most impacted by the strategy.

“Blue Lozenge were very effective at bringing together a working group including people with learning disabilities and autistic people to inform our approach to developing communication materials for our pre-engagement event. This enabled us to effectively reach our core audiences and meant we exceeded our target number of attendees at the event.”

Marie Hackshall, System Programme Lead Kent and Medway – Learning Disability, Autism and ADHD

Communications function audit

Summary

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) commissioned Blue Lozenge to conduct a comprehensive audit of its communications function, serving a population of over 1.2 million people. Blue Lozenge engaged communications and executive teams through workshops, interviews, and document review, benchmarking against best practice from other organisations. The audit identified priority areas across team roles, digital communications, marketing, and governance. Blue Lozenge delivered a detailed report with targeted 12-month recommendations and an operational model, presenting findings directly to the executive team with practical guidance on implementation.

Comprehensive NHS communications audit to transform trust engagement

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) supports over 1.2 million people by providing a range of health and social care services. They needed to review their current communication function to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. The Trust wanted to increase engagement and develop an operational model that would outline the future vision of communication at HCT, ensuring their communications team could effectively serve their large patient population.

Approach

Our first step involved engaging directly with the communications team to understand their current setup and ways of working. We reviewed various documents to gain insight into the current capabilities, capacity, channels, and organisational culture of the HCT communication team. We also reviewed best practice from other organisations.

Utilising both workshops and interviews, we engaged with internal and external stakeholders to design our audit and review process. This helped us identify the main priority areas and streamline our approach to target the areas stakeholders felt most passionate about. We worked alongside colleagues in both the communications and executive teams to define and develop practical recommendations for their communication strategy and capabilities moving forward.

Impact

Blue Lozenge delivered a comprehensive internal audit of HCT’s communication and engagement function. Our report outlined detailed findings and provided targeted recommendations for the next 12 months spanning various areas including team roles and priorities, digital communication and marketing, and governance and team structure.

We facilitated a session with the executive team where we presented the report, operating model, and recommendations, offering practical support on how these could be embedded across the Trust.

Communication network development

Summary

North Central London Integrated Care System commissioned Blue Lozenge to develop a communication and engagement operating model ahead of the formation of ICS structures in July 2022. Blue Lozenge led a co-designed process involving a fortnightly steering group, stakeholder interviews, workshops, focus groups, and desk research across NHS, public, and third sectors. The resulting model featured the HEART framework, shared values, planning processes, roles and responsibilities, and governance structures. The operating model has been adopted as the foundation for communication and engagement across NCL ICS and is being used as best practice guidance for other integrated care systems nationally.

Developing operating models for effective communication and engagement for integrated care systems

North Central London (NCL) Integrated Care System needed a comprehensive communication and engagement operating model ahead of the official formation of ICS structures in July 2022. The system required clear definition of roles, responsibilities, and collaborative working practices across partner organisations to ensure effective integrated communication and engagement that would support the changing healthcare landscape and enable successful system-wide delivery.

Approach

Blue Lozenge placed co-design and stakeholder engagement at the heart of our methodology, recognising that any operating model needed buy-in across the entire system. Working with a fortnightly steering group of communication and engagement leaders, we agreed six key deliverables covering purpose, principles, processes, and governance.

Our comprehensive approach included interviews with system stakeholders and ICB colleagues, workshops with communication teams to explore aspirations and working practices and focus groups examining professional development needs. We conducted desk research on best practice across NHS, public, and third sectors, grounded in professional best practice and codes of practice.

This extensive engagement process informed the development of a bespoke operating model featuring the HEART framework (defining core purpose), shared values and behaviours, planning processes, operating principles, clear roles and responsibilities, and meeting rhythms. We tested the draft model through system-wide engagement surveys before finalising it.

Impact

The operating model now serves as the foundation for communication and engagement across NCL ICS and is being used as best practice guidance for other ICS systems nationally. Our accompanying report with prioritised short, medium, and long-term recommendations has been adopted by senior stakeholders.

The steering group praised the practical, actionable framework that improves working practices in complex environments and creates conditions for communication and engagement colleagues to thrive. The model successfully defines collaborative working practices and establishes the governance needed for effective integrated communication across the system.

Communication plan to support NHS capital development

Summary

Isle of Wight NHS Trust commissioned Blue Lozenge to develop a communication and engagement strategy for their £48 million Investing in Our Future Programme, a major estates and digital transformation project. Blue Lozenge conducted a discovery phase including stakeholder interviews, focus groups, and a programme team workshop, before developing a full communication and engagement strategy covering audiences, channels, tactics, risks, governance, and a detailed delivery plan. A bespoke communications toolkit was provided to enable the in-house team to deliver the communication workstream independently, ensuring a sustainable and consistent programme of engagement with stakeholders and the public.

Developing a strategic engagement plan to support healthcare investment

As part of their estates and digital transformation agenda, the Isle of Wight NHS Trust were seeking to transform the health and care for their local population through a £48 million capital investment project, the Investing in Our Future Programme.

Blue Lozenge was tasked by the programme team to develop a communication and engagement strategy for the project. The communication and engagement strategy needed a compelling narrative, that would help the programme gain the support of a complex network of stakeholders including, the public, the workforce, local and national stakeholders.

Approach to communications strategy

The first phase of our approach was all about discovery. As an extension of the programme team, we analysed their project to understand their strengths and challenges from a communication and engagement perspective. We looked at best practice and helped the team understand the current view of stakeholders and their audiences.  We worked with their communication team and the broader health and care system to understand the best channels and ways to reach key audiences. An in depth programme of research including stakeholder interviews and focus groups helped us to understand key themes. A workshop with the programme team enabled us to agree their key communication priorities.

We developed a full communication and engagement strategy and implementation plan for the programme. This included the communication strategy and approach; audiences and stakeholders; channels and tactics; risks and issues; and governance and sign off.

The delivery plan detailed communication timing and channels, including which messages, assets, and channels should be used when and with what audience. We ensured there was a process for conversations and two-way communication and mechanism for the programme to listen and respond to feedback. We provided a communications toolkit specifically for the Investing in Our Future Programme, to help the organisation implement and deliver the communication workstream without being reliant on external resource.

Outcome

The communications and engagement strategy and delivery plan that we developed, with the programme’s key audiences, provided a clear road map and next steps for the in-house team. The programme team could be consistent and clearly articulate the benefits of the programme and ensure there was a sustainable programme of communication.

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