Public affairs and communications management

The health system is never far from the top of the news agenda, even over the last couple of weeks while the controversial Health and Social Care bill has been buried in the deep scrutiny of a House of Lords Committee. 

The government is committed to its health reform agenda, and ministers know that by the General Election in 2015, the impact of these plans on users’ experience of the health services will have a direct impact at the ballot box. Ministers’ public speeches are full of the merits of the reforms, including increased patient choice, raised quality of care, and a relentless focus on outcomes.

However, with every announcement has come a scathing piece of new research: the Equality and Human Rights Commission has slammed the quality of care provided in residential care homes, whilst the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death has reached the “disturbing” outcome that 40% of high risk surgery patients are receiving inadequate care in NHS hospitals.

For providers and investors in the healthcare market, a rigorous understanding of the research and investigatory agendas of statutory regulators is an essential part of business development and strategic communications planning.  Within such highly regulated and constantly scrutinised markets, the maintenance of quality standards will have a direct impact on attitudes and opinions of policymakers, regulators and the national media.  In this sense, there can be no replacement for doing your research.