comms
In this time pressured era of 140 characters, infinite news feeds and desktop dining you’d think brevity would be a trait that’s worn like a medal of honour.How Facebook is finding us nurses
Recruiting nurses is one of the biggest challenges facing the NHS right now.
Nursing staff are the backbone of our organisation and recruiting the right number is absolutely vital in the safe running of caring and effective modern hospitals. NHS Trusts across the country are grappling with a national shortage of nurses, a huge demand for more trained staff and the continual need to recruit as people drop out of the workforce or retire. Continue reading
D-day, the ultimate plan on a page
It was one of the largest, most complex moments of human endeavour in all history and it turns out the man in charge managed to distil his plans down to a single page. Continue reading
NE Comms conversation #24 “A job where being nosey helps”
Next up it’s the amazing Anna-Maria Cooney with her take on comms in the North East.
I first met AM when I interviewed her to join the internship scheme I set up in my former role. It proved to be a great decision and I’ve blogged before that running and meeting a cohort of interns was one of the best things I ever did.
I think I learned more from them then they did from me, so it’s fantastic to see Anna-Maria making such a success of her career a few years later. I should add that she’s one of the only non-native North Easterners to take part in the blog hailing as she does from Ireland.
Here’s what she had to say. Continue reading
NE Comms Conversation #21 “It’s about changing people’s perceptions and making a difference”
Helen Fox is another ace marcomms professional that I’ve met since starting the in the NHS last year.
She works in the award winning communications team at NHS North of England Commissioning Support and is someone who has really stood out to me since I joined the sector. Here’s here hints and tips on being a successful communicator. Continue reading
NE Comms conversation #18 “start running well before you’re 40”
This week it’s the turn of Julian Christoper, a giant of the North East PR scene in every sense of the word, to join the conversation.
In an opus that takes us from 1992 to the present day Julian casts his cultured and experienced eye over the current state of the North East comms scene. He also gave me the perfect excuse to misquote the Princess Bride….”Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something…….”
8 things a Sicilian detective can teach us about comms
When it comes to gritty, intelligent crime drama the Nordic countries pretty much have it sewn up with their seemingly endless production line of ice-cold, fatally flawed detective series.
So a blast of white hot Sicilian attitude is the perfect contrast for lovers of crime drama with the latest BBC4 series of the irrepressible Inspector Montalbano.
On demand
If you’re a lover of TV shows like ER, House or even Casualty then the last 10 months of my role would have been right up your street.
Joining the NHS as a complete layman has certainly been an education, especially when working in an area where you’re expected to know a lot about everything that happens.
A question of Faith
Despite what you might read it’s not all A&E waiting times, drunks and chronic obesity working in NHS communications.
One thing that I’ve found since joining the NHS last summer is that it’s a hugely varied and all encompassing role. I’ve been pretty lucky with the timings because I’ve been the lead on communicating two fairly major and unique new buildings for the NHS. Continue reading
Talk from the top
In a week that most of the internet seemed to talking about THAT Tony Blair Christmas card, my mind went back to a time when the young pretender was the hottest ticket in town.
My own Blair experience was bookmarked first as a journalist in London in the early days of his second term as PM, and then as a PR back in Gateshead as his era limped to a close.
