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Skye Stephens joins as a content creator apprentice and Aaron Clarke as a PR and media apprentice.

In joining the Blue Lozenge team, they will work with agency clients across a wide portfolio of NHS, local authority, partnership body and private sector organisations.

Skye has previously worked in a creative marketing agency and is interested in simplifying and explaining complex topics through content creation.

Aaron has gained work experience with Sky Sports and is interested in engaging storytelling and the development of impactful campaigns.

Our client services lead, Madeleine Pinkham, said:

We are committed to developing the next generation of talent and making sure people have real opportunities to learn, grow and contribute to the profession.

Right now, there is a lot of concern across the corporate communications and creative industries about the talent pipeline, particularly the threat to junior roles from AI. Entry-level opportunities matter because of that: for the candidates themselves, and for the fresh thinking and creativity they bring into how we work. As a Bromley-based business, we are also glad to be supporting local young people in building their careers and contributing to the local economy.

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We are proud to announce that Blue Lozenge has been awarded White Ribbon UK accreditation, affirming our commitment to ending violence against women and girls and building a culture of genuine gender equality within our organisation.

White Ribbon UK is the leading charity in England and Wales engaging men and boys in preventing violence against women and girls. Its accreditation programme recognises organisations that are willing to commit to a structure three-year action plan to drive real cultural change across the organisation.

For us, this accreditation reflects values that have defined our agency since it started. We have built our reputation around communications that help people and patients. Working alongside Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit, we are committed to reducing violence in our communities, especially against women and girls.

Our Chief Executive Rachel Royall said:

White Ribbon UK is the leading charity in England and Wales engaging men and boys in preventing violence against women and girls. Its accreditation programme recognises organisations that are willing to commit to a structure three-year action plan to drive real cultural change across the organisation.

For us, this accreditation reflects values that have defined our agency since it started. We have built our reputation around communications that help people and patients. Working alongside Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit, we are committed to reducing violence in our communities, especially against women and girls.

We recognise that as a communications agency working in health, we have both the responsibility and the platform to contribute meaningfully to this cause. We are glad to be joining the hundreds of organisations across England and Wales that are already part of the White Ribbon movement.

To find out more about White Ribbon UK and accreditation, visit White Ribbon UK

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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

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Jill brings more than three decades of transformative leadership in the NHS, including 11 years as Managing Director of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre.

Throughout her distinguished career, Jill has mobilised clinical excellence, developed innovative partnership models and spearheaded major health data and population health initiatives. Through senior level healthcare roles and as a seasoned executive coach, Jill empowers leaders across health, tech and life sciences.

As founder of SHINE Executive Coaching and Consultancy Ltd, Jill drives strategic partnerships and talent development. A graduate of the INSEAD Global Women Leaders programme, Jill’s impact spans the UK and global health, always championing innovation, collaboration and the improvement of health outcomes.

Jill said: “I am thrilled to be joining Blue Lozenge as a member of the Strategic Advisory Board. I will be looking to bring insights from a career driving high-impact pathway redesign, life sciences partnerships, strategic and governance design, executive coaching and board support. It will be wonderful to align the vision and values of SHINE ECC and Blue Lozenge, working with their outstanding team, led so impressively by Rachel.”

Blue Lozenge founder and Chief Executive, Rachel Royal, commented:

“I’m delighted to have Jill on board. Our Strategic Advisory Board does a brilliant job of helping us develop our strategy and ensuring we remain relevant to our clients. Jill’s knowledge and expertise will be central to progressing our work, in particular our focus on using strategic communication and engagement to improve patient pathways, reduce waiting times and make a real difference to care. Her breadth of healthcare experience, combined with her skills in executive coaching and leadership, will further strengthen our board’s ability to guide the next phase of our service development and growth.”

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Milton Keynes Hospital Charity celebrated its 30th birthday in July 2025. Across these 30 years, the charity has helped to fund projects such as the £1 million cancer centre and lifesaving BabyLeo incubators. The charity has had a large impact on the hospital, but due to limited resources it was relatively unknown to its most powerful advocates, the hospital staff. The charity asked us to support and drive meaningful engagement which would hopefully lead to fundraising success.

large impact on the hospital, but due to limited resources it was relatively unknown to its most powerful advocates, the hospital staff. The charity asked us to support and drive meaningful engagement which would hopefully lead to fundraising success.

Approach

To understand how much was known about the charity and its presence within the hospital, we conducted interviews and surveys with staff across the hospital. The findings showed that 72% of staff had limited knowledge of the charity and what it did within the hospital. Our team also noticed a lack of physical presence during their visit to the hospital. Whilst other charities and teams had vinyl graphics and posters displayed around the hospital, Milton Keynes Hospital Charity did not. This was a missed opportunity to reach busy staff, patients, and relatives who walk hospital corridors day in and day out.

Using these insights, Blue Lozenge developed a digital communications campaign for the charity’s 30th birthday named ’30 Years Unwrapped’ that aimed to increase staff and the local communities’ knowledge and awareness of the charity. We also created a bespoke brand pack that the team could use to create stickers, vinyl graphics, and posters to place around the hospital to highlight the fantastic work it does and how they can get involved.

This strategy was designed to align with the charity’s three-year plan of boosting income, diversifying fundraising, and strengthening stakeholder ties.

Impact

A bespoke digital campaign highlighting the impactful stories behind the charity’s fundraising over the last 30 years was launched in the run-up to Christmas, and the brand pack will be implemented by the charity team throughout 2026. More on the impact of our work will be coming soon!

Vanessa Holmes, Associate Director at Milton Keynes Charity said:

“We at Milton Keynes Hospital Charity have thoroughly enjoyed working with Blue Lozenge. Understanding that we’re a small team, they’ve supported us so well from the discovery phase to delivery. Knowing how the NHS and NHS charities work, the team really came through and researched, created and produced an amazing anniversary campaign for us to encourage donations and engagement. We would absolutely work with Blue Lozenge again and would highly recommend them to any NHS org or charity needing support with communications.”

If you would like help to run a campaign, contact us at: hello@bluelozenge.co.uk

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Reading Borough Council needed to increase MMR vaccination rates among children in the borough. While overall confidence in vaccines remained high, our research found some groups were more hesitant to get vaccinated.

Through our research and knowledge of the borough we developed an approach that addressed the World Health Organisations ‘3 C’s’ of vaccine hesitancy: confidence, complacency and convenience. The goal was to encourage parents, grandparents and those with parental responsibility to check the vaccination status of children in their care and book appointments if they found their child was not up to date with their MMR vaccinations.

Approach

At Blue Lozenge we developed a paid social media campaign that ran from April to August 2024 which targeted our key audiences and utilised national messaging that resonated with our local audience:

Reactive search marketing our research highlighted that people in Reading were searching for information about the MMR vaccination over 15,000 times a month but often they were being directed to websites where the information was not evidence-based. Using our approach, we redirected those searching for this information directly to the NHS website away from misinformation towards trusted, accessible vaccine safety content.  We targeted specific search terms related to measles symptoms, MMR vaccines and vaccine safety, appearing at the top of Google search results when parents and guardians were actively seeking information.

Proactive social media advertising we targeted local areas with lower vaccine uptake using messages that emphasised the dangers of measles, the safety of the MMR vaccine and practical steps for booking appointments. We used this approach after testing with our key audiences.  The campaign ran on Facebook and Instagram as our insight showed that this is predominantly where our target audience was consuming information.

Throughout the campaign, we monitored performance and adjusted targeting to improve results. For example, during week six, we identified an unusually high number of 18–24-year-olds searching for measles information, potentially reflecting a local outbreak amongst young adults. We created tailored messaging for this demographic, which improved click-through rates.

Impact

Our ads were seen over 1 million times across the different channels, and they generated more than 7,300 clicks to the NHS vaccine information pages. Data from May to October 2024 showed that vaccine uptake in Reading rose from 85% to 87.5%. This steady upward trend aligns with the campaign period.

The search terms data revealed the types of information parents were seeking, from basic queries about measles symptoms to specific questions about vaccine safety, side effects and outbreak information. This insight enabled us to ensure our messaging addressed genuine parental concerns and connected them with trusted NHS content.

Do you need help reaching specific audiences with targeted digital advertising campaigns? We can design and deliver campaigns that connect people with the services and information they need. Contact us at hello@bluelozenge.co.uk

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Sonya Cullington

Sonya Cullington is a cyberpsychologist, public sector AI trainer and health communications specialist working at the intersection of human behaviour, public trust and emerging technology. She helps public sector teams use behavioural science to design clearer, safer and more ethical communications. Sonya specialises in tackling misinformation, strengthening trust and supporting the responsible use of AI, translating complex digital insights into practical guidance that enhances — rather than replaces — human connection.

Blue Lozenge

Sarah Roberts

Sarah Roberts Chart.PR, FCIPR is an award-winning senior communications leader with over 15 years’ experience across digital, internal and strategic communications in healthcare and public service. A Chartered Practitioner and CIPR Fellow, Sarah leads digital communications at Cambridge University Hospitals, focusing on improving staff and patient digital experiences through audience-led content and accessible platforms. She is co-chair of the NHS Communications AI Network’s Training and Innovation Group, championing practical AI skills and upskilling for communicators.

Blue Lozenge

Sarah Booth

Sarah Booth is the Director of Communications and Engagement at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with over 20 years’ experience across NHS communications. Sarah has led public affairs, media, engagement, digital and internal communications, and previously held senior roles at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. She is co-chair of the NHS Communications AI Network’s Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group, focusing on the practical, ethical use of AI to strengthen trust, transparency and patient-centred engagement.

Blue Lozenge

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The MACE Political Influencers index, now in its third edition, profiles the most influential consultants and strategists working in UK public affairs. The peer-reviewed list identifies professionals best placed to guide businesses and organisations through an increasingly complex political and regulatory environment.  

To recognise this achievement, Rachel attended a prestigious event in Westminster alongside others featured in the index including Rt Hon Jim Murphy, Founder and Executive Chair of Arden Strategies and Nerys Evans Managing Director for Cavendish Cymru. 

Rachel founded Blue Lozenge, a strategic healthcare communications agency that works across the NHS, government, the private sector, health tech and innovation in 2021. Now, in its fifth year, its success has been its ability to navigate complex relationships across government and the health and care sector. Working in challenging areas such as maternity improvement, public health campaigns, youth engagement, and violence reduction. 

Rachel’s experience spans central government, global technology and the public sector. As a living kidney donor and breast cancer survivor, she also brings personal insight alongside professional expertise recognised by both the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and the Public Relations and Communications Association.  

The selection process is demanding, with over 250 consultants initially considered. Candidates undergo peer review by senior industry practitioners who assess whether they would recommend and hire them before inclusion in the final index. 

On her achievement, Rachel said:  

“It’s a real privilege to be acknowledged as a top political influencer. The healthcare sector is facing significant political and economic challenges. At Blue Lozenge, we have a fantastic team, and it’s a credit to the relationships that we have been able to build to make a difference to people and society.”

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Role purpose

As an Account Manager, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality communication and engagement projects for clients, with a particular focus on the health and care sectors. You will manage day-to-day client relationships and lead on the delivery of campaigns and projects that drive real impact. Acting as a trusted consultant, you’ll work collaboratively across teams to develop and implement effective communication strategies, build strong relationships, and deliver work on time, on budget, and to quality standards. With a passion for meaningful engagement, you’ll support and contribute to the development of Blue Lozenge’s growing portfolio, working in alignment with our values and the Blue Lozenge Infinity Model.

Key responsibilities

• Manage the day-to-day running of client accounts, ensuring the delivery of a responsive, reliable, and high-quality service to drive client satisfaction and retention.
• Act as a key point of contact for clients, building positive relationships and gaining a deep understanding of their goals and challenges.
• Support the Account Director(s) in developing client strategy.
• Lead client meetings and presentations, maintaining clear and proactive communication throughout project delivery.
• Proactively identify and escalate client issues or risks to the Account Director(s), recommending appropriate solutions to maintain confidence and trust.
• Lead on the planning and execution of communication and engagement projects from brief to evaluation and as part of this, oversee project timelines, budgets, and deliverables, ensuring efficiency and quality.
• Develop strategic campaign plans and messaging frameworks that meet client objectives and resonate with target audiences.
• Create compelling content, including reports, presentations, case studies, web copy, and social media content.
• Coordinate internal and external teams (including creatives, associates, and suppliers) to deliver integrated campaigns.
• Identify and develop new opportunities with existing clients, helping to grow account value.
• Support the development of proposals and new business pitches by contributing ideas, insights, and written content.
• Undertake market research and horizon scanning to inform client strategy and keep teams informed of developments across the health and care sector.
• Maintain a commercial awareness of project scopes, budgets, and client needs.
• Support junior colleagues where appropriate and contribute to internal team initiatives.

Skills and experience

• Project management and effective organisational skills, with attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Proven experience in a communication, public relations, or engagement role, ideally within the technology, health or social care sector, with experience delivering campaigns and communication programmes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt content for different audiences.
• A creative, inquisitive, and solutions-focused mindset.
• Experience developing content across multiple platforms, including social media, email, web, and print.
• Experience working collaboratively with clients and internal teams.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; familiarity with tools such as Canva or Miro is a plus.

This role profile is not exhaustive; it will be subject to periodic review and may be amended to meet the changing needs of the business. The post holder will be expected to participate in this process, and we would aim to reach an agreement to the changes.

Please apply via the Talent Set Vacancy

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