We have a team tradition in January of taking a step back and look at the previous year. It’s a reflective habit that is helpful in a ‘normal’ year, giving pause for thought when all too often it feels that you are focussed on task to task, with a rhythm of fortnightly sprints, and sometimes a month to month view. In a pretty complex context, it’s only when you step back to see the bigger picture that you can see the path you followed and celebrate the huge leaps that are only seen with perspective.
And 2020, was no normal year!
As a team we tend to take a look at the numbers and feedback, as its not just the numbers that tell a story. One thing I love about the work of the Engagement team is that going across social and digital media, ratings and reviews, multimedia and syndication, we can feel like a digital front line. By looking at the stories people are telling us — on social media and via their reviews of NHS services — we see hugely personal stories and do our best to respect them.
Here are just some of my reflections on the year that was:
1. Team culture really matters
When you are all working from home, having your work meetings invade your personal space, I believe that feeling safe with colleagues and being willing to bring your ‘whole self’ to work makes a significant difference.
In our ratings and reviews service where people share their NHS experiences, we have to tread a careful line of safeguarding, defamation and support, so we can’t always do what people expect us to do with their stories.
When colleagues receive abuse from frustrated upset members of the public, working at home probably amplifies how personal that attack can feel. If your work and home boundaries are blurred, a bad day ‘at the office’ is a bit different, it’s not as easy to shrug off abuse.
People need a culture that creates a safe space to share, and know it’s not just you at home in your bedroom / kitchen / shed etc. I’m really proud how the team has pulled together, and been able to celebrate each other’s achievements, whatever the scale, and keep laughing through it all, whether it’s about work achievements, challenges or children’s bedtime shenanigans.
2. We can do better to hear h̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶c̶h̶ ̶a̶u̶d̶i̶e̶n̶c̶e̶s̶ seldom listened to voices
I look back at the confidence with which I used to talk about how intrinsic the NHS brand is to our national identity, and realise that I needed to open my eyes more.
Don’t get me wrong, it is still a hugely loved brand, and I am immensely grateful to have the NHS and proud to work for it. But there are people who rightly don’t feel so secure in the incredible safety net that the NHS provides.
There are plenty of statistics that show pretty shocking health inequalities, and it’s really important that we get better at listening and acting on voices that represent our diverse population. They aren’t ‘hard to reach’ if we are ready to listen.
Equality of access to healthcare that is free at point of service is a founding principle of the NHS, and we shouldn’t forget that because it can sometimes feel a little more effort to stretch. I am lucky to have brilliant colleagues pushing boundaries and making us all better at doing this, and understanding why it matters.
We’ve still got a way to go, but 2020 feels like a turning point, and if the only challenge is the complexity of trying to keep up with the multiple strands of work in this area, well; that’s a better than where we were.
3. Keep telling the story
With the team being called an ‘engagement’ team, that means different things in different organisations. I personally describe ours as covering all the interesting bits round the edges of the website service.
But I think I need to update that and be glad that we are more integrated now, and user researchers are much more likely these days to approach our social media team and ratings and reviews teams for insights to see how people are thinking about certain health issues.
The year in review fits into that storytelling concept, as while we gather its contents for the sake of the team, it’s a good chance to remind stakeholders and colleagues what is happening in our part of the world. We’re not always on the same cadence as the rest of the Product Development, but we’re all working towards the same goals of improving health outcomes, helping people manage their own health and that of their families and alleviate pressure on health and care services.
4. Be there when people are looking for safe trusted information
During this pandemic, digital adoption has accelerated way beyond what anyone would have predicted in this space of time. The big technology companies have been keen to challenge misinformation and it has been a fascinating time to be involved in this space, with insane growth in reach and impact, a privilege and a challenge.
5. Celebrate the wins, big and small
It seems wrong to be celebrating successes that are only on this scale because of the devastating impact of coronavirus. So, I think we need to keep that perspective and recognise that the virus has personally touched the lives of all of us, whether that’s due to losing someone, coping with the effects of long-covid or the impact of lockdown that we’re only really beginning to build an understand of.
However, I do want to raise a virtual glass to a team who work incredibly hard and all make a positive impact in the ways they know how.
Now that we’re well clear of 2020, we can reflect on what the NHS.UK Engagement Team delivered. Some HUGE numbers with HUGE impact here, and I’m so impressed with how each of them has managed everything.
Note the images below are fragmented to allow for alt text descriptions to improve accessibility. The full graphic is also available here.
