News
NHS needs better marketing to become patient-led
28 April 2008
The NHS must first become marketing-led before it can become
patient-led, and it must look at what marketing can deliver for it, its
customers, and its many stakeholders, according to a White Paper
produced by the Chartered Institute of Marketing
The Chartered Institute of Marketing worked with marketers from
across the NHS to produce the White Paper: The real NHS: the benefits
of a marketing approach, which explores the issues involved in
adopting a marketing approach within the NHS.
David Thorp, director of research and information at The Chartered
Institute of Marketing said, “The move towards a more patient-led NHS
will not happen overnight — there are considerable barriers to change
within the NHS. However, if marketers are willing to engage with their
colleagues, use intelligible marketing terms, and demonstrate clearly
the benefits a focus on patient needs can bring, they will find a more
receptive audience that will help make a patient-led NHS a reality
sooner rather than later.”
One of the biggest obstacles for marketers in the NHS is a lack of
clarity about its role. The Institute’s paper argues that marketing is
widely misunderstood within the NHS, with many staff failing to
understand what it actually is and what it can deliver for the NHS.
Often perceived as just ‘spin’ or advertising, The Institute argues that
marketing actually has a far more strategic role to play within the NHS
and can help deliver real benefits for both patients and staff.
The Institute worked closely with its own Medical Marketing Group in
the development of the paper, and hosted a round-table discussion with
senior marketing managers from across a broad spectrum of NHS trusts and
organisations, including the NHS Confederation and NHS Elect, to hear
their views on marketing’s role in the new patient-led NHS.
Presentations of the White Paper will be made at public events taking
place on the 22 May 2008 in London (The Chartered Institute of Public
Relations) and on 3 June 2008 in Leeds (St James’ University Hospital).
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