A common trait of all successful organisations is that there is always significant care and attention paid to how those organisations communicate and engage with their key stakeholders. It is important that the people who have a vested interest in the success of an organisation are kept updated about its strategic plans, its operational work and its progress going forwards.
This is why NARU has an effective Communications & Stakeholder Engagement function that consistently provides high quality ways for NARU to interact and engage with its key stakeholders whilst protecting and enhancing NARU’s reputation.
Led by the NARU Communications & Stakeholder Engagement Lead Carl Rees, this work involves everything from ensuring the correct branding on presentations and publishing national documentation, through to managing the NARU website and social media, organising NARU events, photography, handling the media, producing films and publishing regular newsletters like NARU e-News.
The profile of NARU, both nationally and internationally, was enhanced significantly during the 2013-14 business year, with a number of successful communications and stakeholder engagement initiatives coming to fruition, including.
Significant development of the NARU website, with new sections and large numbers of news articles added daily. Site visits rose from an average of 25,000 in 2012-13 to 32,500 in 2013-14, a 30% increase. In the past 12 months there have been 92,000 page views on the NARU website alone.
- An increase in the pace of our NARU social media work, resulting in thousands of new connections, links and conversations with a huge and varied new audience, including key emergency and resilience opinion formers. For instance, our Twitter followers alone rose from 750 in 2012-13 to 1,350 in 2013-14, an 80% increase in the year. More tellingly, the quality of our followers, many of whom share our news, is also exceptionally high and relevant to our work environment. You can follow NARU on Twitter here.
- The launch of NARU e-News, our new online monthly newsletter designed to keep people in touch more regularly with NARU progress and developments. We send this to an ever-growing database of around 4,000 people, many of whom forward it on and re-publish the information locally.
- The refinement and improvement of the NARU publishing system, ensuring that all items published use the correct NARU branding, giving a clear and consistent professional image of the organisation. In 2013-14, the NARU Communications & Stakeholder Engagement team published over 40 individual items ranging from major items like the National Action Cards and National Command and Control Guidance through to smaller items such as leaflets and exhibition panels.
- The inclusion and involvement of NARU in some high profile industry events, including stands at the Emergency Services Show and planning for Ambition 2014 – all of which helps spread the word and aid networking.
- Significant communications input into the successful planning and implementation of Exercise Amber 2 in May 2013, the largest-ever ambulance-led exercise of its type in the UK.
- Produced a specific communications package aimed at CCGs, describing the work of NARU and emphasising the importance of EPRR capability, especially HART teams, to commissioners. This involved the production of a special booklet and information pack, as well as a special film aimed at the CCG audience.
- The development of a number of successful marketing communications items designed to help get the message across about changes to the Initial Operational Response for CBRN incidents. This work was praised by NHS England and was subsequently rolled out beyond the ambulance service, across all acute NHS Trusts.
For more information about the NARU Communications & Stakeholder Engagement function contact carl.rees@reesps.com.