Experience and skills
I am a communications and engagement professional with over thirty years experience.
Specialising is in public sector, I have worked in the NHS, Local Government, on national programmes for the Home Office and Public Health England, as well as in the arts and education.
My skill-base includes the full communications and engagement mix, using necessary and appropriate tools and techniques to engage a wide range of different stakeholder groups including, staff/internal, private sector and third-sector partnerships and the wider general public/customer base.
I am also a specialist in accessible information including plain English and Easy Read. I have a CIPR Postgrad Diploma, CIPR Specialist Certificate in Internal Communications CIPR Specialist Diploma in Digital Communications.
Key achievements
- Led communications and engagement strategy and delivery on one of NHS England’s first ‘Vanguard’ New Care Model programmes (All Together Better Sunderland) designed to transform the way health and social care are delivered as combined offer to local populations. The programme required internal staff and stakeholder engagement across a range of disciplines within a health; local authority; private sector and third sector partnership. At the same time service change needed to be consulted on and communicated with patients/clients, their carers and general public.
- Involved since inception and development with the Cancer Research UK/Public Health England national team, up to frontline delivery of campaigns, I led the Be Clear on Cancer (awareness and early diagnosis) public health campaigns for three Cancer Networks. Managing both clinical engagement and public awareness to increase symptom-awareness and early diagnosis of common cancers, I worked across the north of England and Thames Valley to demonstrate a measurable increase in diagnosed cancers.
- Led on regional stakeholder-communication for a major Home Office pilot to develop a single-non emergency number (101). This included management and delivery of all communication across a large and complex partnership comprising 12 local authorities, the police and police authority, each with their own agenda. Primary stakeholders included front line staff and the public.
- Development and management of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) transformation and change communication at Newcastle City Council, within a Public Private Partnership (Fujitsu and KPMG). This involved a range of significant communication, primarily with both staff and elected members as well as customers.
- Management and delivery of major stakeholder engagement and communications ‘reputation’ campaign for Blyth Valley Borough Council’s first Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) inspection was instrumental in achieving ‘excellent’ status.
- Management and delivery of the one of the first postal-voting campaigns at Blyth Valley Borough Council resulting in a 75% take up (increase of 23%; target 15%).
- Launch and all associated initiation engagement and communication activity for the first Arm’s Length Management [Housing] Organisation (ALMO) in England – Blyth Valley Housing, including tenant liaison, re-brand and transformation communications both internally and with customers.
- Rebranded Newcastle City Council in-house, including sole management of project and delivery of the Corporate Identity Protocol, with minimal cost (under £4K).
- Development and management of major, social marketing campaigns for NHS Berkshire West – including a highly visible and successful ‘Choose Well’ winter achieving public recognition and understanding of key messages with the public [SHA research Dec 2010] and a two-year Dental campaign, significantly increasing awareness of availability of NHS dentists.
- Development and build of an online Accessible Information Toolkit to provide comprehensive support for Newcastle City Council staff on the production of information in relevant formats in line with new DDA requirements.
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