NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is hoping for success this week for two of its innovative patient and community-focused projects at the national Association for Healthcare Communications and Marketing (AHCM) awards, to be held on Thursday.
The CCG Communications and Engagement team has been shortlisted in the awards for both the Healthier Hull Community Fund and children’s and young people’s emotional health website, www.howareyoufeeling.org.uk, launch campaign.
Emma Latimer, NHS Hull CCG Chief Officer said:
“To be nominated in these awards really is an honour; as an organisation we strive to involve the public in everything we do, work hard to communicate with patients and members of the public, and have strong links with our local community.”
The Healthier Hull Community Fund faces tough competition from the likes of Salford CCG and Guys and St Thomas Foundation Trust, to name but a few, in the ‘Best Engagement or Consultation’ category.
Colin Hurst, lead Engagement Manager for the Healthier Hull Community Fund said:
“The Healthier Hull Community Fund is all about putting the power of funding in the public’s hands. It gives the people in Hull the chance to tell us what they think is needed in the city to improve health, and then vote as part of a pitch process for them to receive funding.”
The CCG awarded £438,772 in grants to 99 local health and wellbeing related projects through the Healthier Hull Community Fund in March 2016. Funded groups have spent the past year demonstrating how their work helps to keep local people healthy.
Funded projects included those designed to use arts to tackle isolation, healthy cooking classes, access to exercise and supporting people with emotional health and wellbeing.
The How are you Feeling? Launch is up against NHS England, London North West Healthcare NHS Trust and other NHS organisations in the ‘Best Storytelling’ category.
Georgie Thrippleton, Commissioning Manager behind www.howareyoufeeling.org.uk said:
“When we launched How are you Feeling? we knew we had to work with young people to spread the word.”
“11 Hull 2020 Champions, aged 17 – 18, grasped the challenge of getting the word out by sharing their stories and promoting what is, essentially, a great resource for children and young people in Hull by using Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.”
The website was designed with young people in Hull, for young people in Hull, and aims to act as a resource for children and young people who want to look after their emotional health and wellbeing and learn about local services available to them.
The launch event saw the Hull 2020 Champions attend Hull Fair to distribute promotional wristbands and share their ‘How are you Feeling?’ story across social media to spread the word about the new website to their friends, families and peers.
Dr Dan Roper, NHS Hull CCG Chair said:
“Our communications and engagement team work to create a healthier Hull by informing patients and members of the public about health services available in the city, consulting with residents and working with members of the community to empower local residents to look after their health.”
“The projects being nominated is a testament not only to our team, but also to our local community and how they are working to create a healthier city.”
Sue Lee, Associate Director for Communications and Engagement added:
“A lot of our work is ‘behind the scenes’ but gaining recognition for projects which involve a whole host of people from across the city, and from a variety of backgrounds, is an incredibly humbling feeling.”
The award winners will be announced on Thursday evening, follow @NHSHullCCG on Twitter to hear the news first.
[Pictured: some of the Hull 2020 Champions involved in the How are you Feeling? launch]
