NHS STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

NHS Strategic Management

Table of contents

PURPOSE3

KEY ISSUES3

INTRODUCTION3

STRATEGY AND THE ROLE OF MARKETING4

National Context4

Service Development Strategy5

Marketing and organisational change5

MARKETING OBJECTIVES7

MARKETING TIMELINE8

DIVISIONAL AND SERVICE MARKETING PLANS8

COMMUNICATION AND INTERNAL MARKETING9

NEXT STEPS9

RECOMMENDATIONS9

CONCLUSION10

THE BOARD IS ASKED TO:10

REFERENCES11

NHS Strategic Management

Purpose

To provide an update on the outcome of the review of the marketing plan as requested by the Board at its meeting in May and to present for an endorsement an updated Marketing Plan.

Key Issues

The following met to review the Marketing Plan as requested by the Board:

Kathleen Lindesay Nigel Stapleton Terry Smith Sally Pearson Irwin Wilson The following issues were considered:

• Priorities and timing for action in relation to key changes in the market

• The need to increase the profile of the Trust in the market place

• The need to engage and respond better to GPs

• How progress can be made with no additional funding

Introduction

Government policy continues to drive the changes that are establishing competition in our healthcare market. In response the Trust has identified marketing and the development of marketing knowledge and skills as a key corporate objective.

It is envisaged that this first plan will develop and evolve as knowledge and experience are gained. Referrals have not been a strong point in this industry. It is more about being seen and ultimately the equipment being sold. We have been successful with firms and have started to see more opportunities. Referrals have been through association membership and at this time staffing and cost are preventing us from actively pursuing this outlet. The NHS Plan gave the vision of a health service designed around the patient: a new delivery system for the NHS as well as changes between health and social services, changes for NHS doctors, for nurses, midwives, therapists and other NHS staff, for patients and in the relationship between the NHS and the private sector(House, 1999, 171).

Strategy And The Role Of Marketing

National Context

The DoH has issued a brief initial statement on marketing within 'The NHS in England: The operating framework for 2006/7'. The key message for providers of healthcare is that providers need to "be able to inform patients and GPs of the potential advantages of being treated by a particular provider.

Marketing activity by providers must, however, follow statutory guidelines such as the Advertising Standards Authority Code, and must also reflect the values and brand policy of the NHS". In recent years the public sector has increasingly been under pressure to improve performance driven by a number of central government initiatives such as the Best Value regime and Public Performance Reporting. Added to this pressure is the current Modernising Government agenda or what has become known as information age government or e-government. Ambitious targets have been set for electronic service delivery culminating in the goal that all services be available electronically by 2008 (Cabinet Office 1999).

The statement focuses on the provision of good and accurate information to patients and expresses caution in relation to expenditure and advertising. This reflects the Trust's approach which aims not to confuse marketing activity with the ...