Aims of today

• Consider how we as individuals and groups can contribute towards ‘No Avoidable Infections’

• Review how best to ‘make a difference’ in working with people who can deliver the necessary changes and improvements

• Gather some useful new perspectives and a toolbox of ideas • Communicate messages and ‘asks’ to DH in a way which will

stimulate forward action– Lindsay Wilkinson will be here at 2.30pm today– MP event on April 1st hosted by Dr Brian Iddon MP

• Hone succinct messaging and communications plans driven by your own group's objectives

• What else?

THE ROLE THAT PATIENT & PUBLIC GROUPS HAVE IN HEALTHCARE

Beyond token involvement

• Government has passed legislation to involve patients and the public in shaping local health services so that they truly reflect the needs of the community they serve.

• NHS is being given more responsibility by the Government for the design and delivery of local health services and has a duty to involve and consult patients and the public when planning services.

All of this means that local campaigning and influencing will become more important and there is more opportunity for direct involvement in improving services

Across all sectorsThere is a long history in the UK of people coming together in groups to achieve a common goal. Quite often, ‘grass roots’ activists with similar experiences got together simply as a way of supporting each other, or because they felt they were being discriminated against.

 

Some have campaigned for better services or better working conditions while others have simply strived to raise awareness.

Many of the independent disability advocacy groups in the UK were started by grass roots activists; now they are properly funded and provide substantial support.

RNIB (2004) ISBN 1 85878 621 5

“We need to work in partnership – in particular with patients and patient groups.

In order to form effective prevention and control policies, it is essential to work closely with patients and their relatives to better tailor

policies to patients real needs...well informed and empowered patients are a strong asset for

European societies.”    

Commissioner Vassiliou, 7 April at ECPC Cancer Patient Summit

“If campaigning groups don’t represent the public and patients in policy-making, then

who is going to ?”

  Jeremy Laurance. Health Editor, The Independent.

Challenges facing the Health Advocacy CommunityThe views of policymakers & media, Health Equality Europe, 2006

“Who’s most active pressing for change?”

Challenges Facing the Health Advocacy Community: a Europe-Wide Survey of Health Campaigners (2006)

a

“Who values and takes you seriously as a health campaigner?”

Challenges Facing the Health Advocacy Community: a Europe-Wide Survey of Health Campaigners (2006)

a

“How do you deliver your campaign?”

Challenges Facing the Health Advocacy Community: a Europe-Wide Survey of Health Campaigners (2006)

s

Major activities of campaigning groups in Europe

Challenges Facing the Health Advocacy Community: a Europe-Wide Survey of Health Campaigners (2006)

“Do you believe the patient/advocacy movement could become an effective force within healthcare systems?”

Patient advocates need to be self-critical. People they put forward as representatives

need to be effective

In: Challenges facing the Health Advocacy CommunityThe views of policymakers & media, Health Equality Europe, 2006

“Yes absolutely. And it will.

This is a definite trend”

“Yes but they’ll always have to battle for airtime with the likes of doctors,

nurses & political players”

“Yes it already is”

Joanne Shaw, Vice-Chair NHS DirectGary Finnegan, Editor Irish Medical Times

Stephen Pollard, Director Health Policy Programme, Centre for the New Europe

Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor, The Independent

Focus on HCAI stakeholders

• Clear Government policies for increasing patient and public involvement in place

• DH has set up the HCAI stakeholder forum with twice-yearly meetings+ Your ad hoc interactions with DH+ DH has asked for some input from some of you + You’ve been active in a range of your own initiatives

• DH is aware of positive impact of working together with advocacy groups (eg cancer)

Asked me to support you in developing the relationship• There is real potential for achieving better outcomes

by working to deliver shared objectives with the DH, the NHS, patients and the public.

THE VALUE OF EXPERIENCE AND HOW TO USE IT TO REACH

YOUR OBJECTIVES

What motivates us?

How to employ your experience to the best effect.

MASTERCLASS

Campaigning tools and using them with greater precision to achieve what you plan to achieve.

Look at the range of decision makers – who could you reach out to?

What are the different methods and techniques that you can use?

What makes an effective patient group?

What makes an effective patient advocate?

How to ensure that people listen?

DVT campaign

Patient group launch. Etablish‘Lifeblood’ in Westminster,

Scotland and Wales

KOL Parliamentary & Policy briefings:

“VTE deaths in UK”

Think Tank Seminar:“Preventable deaths”

MP & Peer Seminar:“VTE deaths”

HSC Inquiry

Support patient groups incarrying the message

Mobilise researchers and KOLs

Communicate to Parliamentarians but also officials

CMO responds to recommendations. Implementation Group established.

12 recommendations from HSC resulted in favourable NHS environment for increased use of thromboprophylaxis

Government established expert working group on DVT in hospitalised patients. Group submitted report with recommendations on best practice to Chief Med Officer.

Maintain pressure to

ensure implementation

of new guidance

Arm Parliamentarians with the facts, ideas and do the leg-work

Advocacy-led project over 15 months

DVT campaign

“The consultation

is a great initiative

which helps my work

tremendously”

“The grassroots information

helps me raise diabetes issues in Government”

Diabetes Czar

Health Minister

Implementing NSF for Diabetes

Grassroots feedback via managed blog

Report presentedTo Minister with media

Events in libraries& hospitals

Launched at Treasury

Beating Bowel CancerMobilizing email to 50 “Patient Voices”

International Myeloma Foundation Website ‘How To’ and response mobilizationMailed 600 haematology nurses

Lymphoma AssociationWebsite ‘How To’ and response mobilization Patient activist for media & political activities

Macmillan Cancer ReliefWebsite ‘How To’ and response mobilization

OvacomeMobilizing email to 1,300 membersMother & daughter patient activists

Leukaemia CAREWebsite ‘How To’ and response mobilization

Bowel Cancer UK Website ‘How To’ and response mobilization CancerBACUPLed joint consultation responseThe Patients AssociationMedia personality with cancer open to media

19

Each patient group made a robust direct response to NICE

Patient group responses to negative NICE

Cancer Campaigning Group: Call to Action

Routes to generate your data & mobilize supporters

• Telephone hotline audit• Vox pops• Zoomerang questionnaires• Web-based voting around a Service Pledge• On-line surveys (managed blogs) • Publication reviews• Learning at the NHS desk/ in the lab• Trials• Patient groups eg diabetes, kidney disease,

DVT, cancer

Range of delivery vehicles

• You, and your memberships supported by templates• Telephone, emails and e-virus chains• Websites – your own and related interest groups• Newsletters, pamphlets and magazine articles• Letter to the Editor / Letter to the Minister• Local user groups (LINks)• Response to public consultations• Ask for input to DH/local NHS working teams• Journalists and health editors• Seminars & Radio Days with experts

Range of delivery vehicles

• Letters, briefings and meetings with Ministerial, DH, MPs and councillors

• Constituency Days of Action/ MP clinic visits• Parliamentary tactics via MP APPGs and peers: PQ/WQ,

debates, EDMs, MP visits in House of Commons, stakeholder inquiry event (World Health Day, 7th April)

• Parliamentary elections: MEP election issue/ party health manifestos/ prospective candidates

• Co-signed declarations as a political tool (launch events with media coverage)

• Mass lobby of Parliament

Co-signed declarations and calls for action, examples

• Warsaw Declaration• Breakthrough Service Pledge• European Patients Forum• Europacolon• Lung Cancer Plan• Cancer Campaigning Group

Resources• Professional Panel of experts, includes

– Prof Martin Buxton/Julia Fox-Rusby (HE & Social Sciences)– Prof Nick Bosanquet (Health Policy)– Prof Ray Powles (Oncologist)– Dr Martin Duerden (Consultant Public Health)– Mr Michael Sobanja (Chair NHS Confederation)– Ros Meek (CEO ARMA)– Jane Jones (Consultant in medical education)– Isobel Davies (Consultant in HR)

• Introductions to other charities – Cancer, Kidney disease, Diabetes, DVT etc

• ‘How to’ for your members to be effective advocates• Learning at the NHS desk/ in the lab• Platforms for the HCAI stakeholder groups are in

development

What makes an effective advocate?

• Clear aims, simple messages and what you are calling for– Impact and need for change– Personal face on the issue

• A well-argued case supported by facts– Anecdotal feedback– Statistics/ questionnaire/survey – How the proposal has worked well elsewhere

– A message that is and sounds helpful – in line with DH objectives– Politically relevant– Takes into account all relevant issues – Comes across appropriately– One that helps people to do their job

• Being strategic – Picking short-term wins but being ready to play the long game– Integration of political, clinical, scientific and public elements

• Being fleet of foot, alert to opportunities with clear talking points – ‘Elevator speech’ for a quick briefing of official, MP or journalist

• Mobilising people who have the power to make the changes – and those who influence them

• Active/influential supporters – diverse experts, related interest groups and public

• An appropriate range of delivery vehicles• Being mindful of ones personal and professional reputation as a

campaigner

What makes an effective advocate?

 • Effective communication

– ‘Open’ questions, cool-calm-collected– Listening skills

• Assertiveness not aggression• Negotiation

– If there is complete disagreement over an issue try to find a ‘middle ground’ that you can all agree on

– If there is no middle ground, a reasonable, realistic compromise

What makes an effective advocate?

Promoting patient-centred healthcare around the world

ADVOCACY: LESSONS LEARNED

1. Get Their Attention; It’s the Sizzle That Sells2. Make Them Care; Engage Them Emotionally3. An Effective Demonstration Needs Numbers; Make It

Politically Worthwhile to Solve the Issue4. Engage Influential Insiders to Support Issue; Better Yet,

Get a Seat at the Table5. Row Together; Find Common Ground; Watch Out for

“Divide and Conquer”; Keep Everyone Informed and Engaged

6. Let Others (Without Vested Interest) Speak For You; Make Solving the Issue the “Right Thing” to Do

7. Small is Good; Don’t Forget: David Won8. When You Get to the Top, Don’t Forget to Send the

Elevator Back Down

Characteristics of an influential campaigning group

Challenges facing the Health Advocacy CommunityThe views of policymakers & media, Health Equality Europe, 2006

Mel Read former MEP. Challenges facing the Health Advocacy CommunityThe views of policymakers & media, Health Equality Europe, 2006

Characteristics of an influential campaigning group

PLANNING YOUR MESSAGES & TACTICAL PLAN

Where does local practice need to change?

Where does national policy need to change?

Beginning to think through which parts of your agenda “fit” best where and therefore how to communicate so that people listen and act.

What are you campaigning objectives and who are you trying to reach and why, what are you going to do and when; who will take this forward?

Strategic Planning

• Simply put, strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more, how it's going to get there and how it'll know if it got there or not

• Goals-based planning is probably the most common and starts with focus on the organization's mission, goals to work toward the mission, strategies to achieve the goals, and action planning (who will do what and by when).

Benefits of Strategic Planning

Strategic planning serves a variety of purposes, including:

1. Clearly define the purpose of the organization and to establish realistic goals

2. Communicate those goals and objectives to the organization’s constituents.

3. Develop a sense of ownership of the plan.

4. Ensure the most effective use is made of the organization’s resources by focusing the resources on the key priorities.

5. Provide a base from which progress can be measured and establish a mechanism for informed change when needed.

6. Bring together of everyone’s best and most reasoned efforts

7. Provides clearer focus of organization, producing more efficiency and effectiveness

Mission Statement

NAME OF GROUP:

Key Objectives

1.J2.’lk3. G4.

FGHJHMGGGGGGG

Key Achievements To Date

1.F2.D3.D4.G

NAME OF GROUP:

FGHJHMGGGGGGG

What Else We Would Like to Achieve eg Change What ?

1.F2.D3.D4.G

FGHJHMGGGGGGG

NAME OF GROUP:

FGHJHMGGGGGGG

FGHJHMGGGGGGG

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

MAJOR DECISION MAKERS RELEVANT TO US

Decision Maker What Can This Decision Maker

Do To Help Us Achieve Our Objectives?

OUR ACTIVITIES WITH EACH MAJOR DECISION MAKER

Decision Maker Tactical Activities To Help Us

Achieve Our Goals

OBJECTIVE:

2009

Q1

2009

Q2

2009

Q3

2009

Q4

2010

Q1

2010

Q2

2010

Q3

1

OUR ENGAGEMENT PLAN TIMELINE

2

3

4

FGJ Y FGXJSYKDUK

New Support or Skills We Need To Deliver Our Plan

1.F2.D3.D4.G5.D6.D7.D8.D9.F10.B11.F12.F

NAME OF GROUP:

FGHJHMGGGGGGSDGG

FGHJHMGGGGGGG

DFHFVVHJNB

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