health
Perception Vs reality
Images of Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins flash through my mind as I race through the Northumberland countryside as the leader of an imaginary tour de France.
And in that absurd fantasy lies the first example of the classic perception vs reality gap. I’m only fooling myself.
How do you solve a problem like health & wellbeing?
That sounds like a fairly abstract question I know and it reminds me of a Louis CK stand-up routine, where he plays the part of someone trying to explain to an angry god what a ‘job’ is.
The premise of the joke is that a benevolent creator has provided everything we need to survive and the minute his back is turned the humans have massively overcomplicated everything, leading to a need for jobs, double shot Frappuccinos and bacon cheese burgers.
So there lies the problem for big thematic questions like this, because dealing with big problems is inherently complex, can’t be tackled by one organisation in isolation and there isn’t a narrative that’s easy to communicate. Continue reading
A different type of tablet on Gateshead hospital wards
This week I’ve been working on something slightly different that puts another spin on the omnipotent use of tablets and smart phones.
Nothing as exciting at the ubiqetious iphone6 launch, but something pretty impressive to me (as a newbie to healthcare and the NHS)
Look around you almost anywhere in public and you’ll see a wall of faces staring into electronic devices or tapping on tiny, shiny black touchscreens.
Now even medical teams will be doing the same, but in a way that’s good for your health. Continue reading
Six tips for connecting health and politics (part two)
“We know that people don’t rush home to turn on the Parliament channel. We have to work extremely hard to engage with people,” Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.
Six tips for connecting health and politics (part one)
The future of the NHS and the overall health and wellbeing of the UK is probably one of the biggest political hot topics around and with a general election looming the #parlhealth event came to Durham in a bid to teach us more about connecting with politicians.
The NHS new starter pack, bleepers & pictures of cake
Learning about the NHS and how healthcare comms works has been a real learning curve.
“As long as it’s healthy”
A moving and inspiring guest blog today that deals with some difficult issues around children with disabilities.
Vici Richardson (@vicilou) is a long time friend of ours and has written this blog on the pressures of being a mum and learning about disability. She’s working extremely hard to raise awareness of the condition and explain how others can get involved. Here she describes how her son was first diagnosed with Duchenne:
Its funny isn’t it most people take the healthy bouncing baby scenario for granted. When asked do you mind if its ‘pink or blue’ the common answer is ‘ I don’t mind as long as it’s healthy’.
‘As long as it’s healthy.’ It was a common thing said to me throughout both my pregnancies but more so my second. Truth be known second pregnancy I was dying for a girl, desperate for all things pink and frilly and girly shopping trips.
a day without OJ - A comms, digital & PR blog by Ross Wigham 