As we wind down for summer, don’t lose focus on what’s happening in the NHS this autumn
By Holly Sutton, ZPB Communications Partner
We’ve just published the results of ZPB’s 2021 customer survey. Tellingly, our clients said they most valued the insight, consistency, and alignment our consultancy work bought into their organisations.
We will be leaning into these strengths as we support our clients to navigate the precipice of our post-pandemic future. We’re already thinking about back-to-school comms in the autumn. It is going to be an interesting time for the healthcare system: a new NHS CEO; the abolition of CCGs in October 2021; the growing backlog of elective surgery and a potential third wave of COVID and possible staff exodus.
Insight has been our strongest growth area in 2020/21 as organisations seek to understand where they and their stakeholders now sit in a rapidly unfolding new world of planned (ICSs) and unplanned (pandemic) change. Associate research director Oswin Baker joined ZPB last month to build out this element of our work.
Reputation management and digital engagement are looking to be key areas of investment for our clients in the next 12 months. We will be using insight to develop responses and ways to engage stakeholders as their needs have changed so much. We’ll be helping them to seek out that sweet spot: alignment between what the external world is throwing up; our clients’ unique offerings and their audience needs.
Consistency was also evidenced in the stand-out finding from our survey that 100% of our clients agreed that we delivered on our initial promise made to them. This is where the essential consultancy ingredient of trust is forged. Expectation minus reality equals disappointment, which erodes trust. All our clients in 2021 agreed that the work we did meet their expectations of delivery. This solidifies our promise as a safe, honest and to-be-trusted set of hands to navigate the challenging circumstances the healthcare sector faces in the years ahead together.
Talk to us about how to navigate the next 12 months.
Holly.Sutton@ZPB-Associates.com 07849 089 459