St Hugh’s Hospital - Shooting Star

Overview

Based in Grimsby, St Hugh’s Hospital is run by the Healthcare Management Trust (HMT) – a not-for-profit charity which runs two care homes and two hospitals in the UK.

HMT is dedicated to providing quality care to NHS and private patients, funding health research projects and promoting inclusive community health initiatives.

St Hugh’s is a 32-bed hospital which offers a range of procedures to the local community including general surgery, cosmetic surgery, orthopaedic and pain management.

Objectives

In April 2017, the management team at St Hugh’s approached Shooting Star for support in raising the profile of the hospital locally and changing the perception of it being a purely private hospital. The team wanted to use PR to achieve better community engagement, aid future recruitment and ensure the hospital continues to run at capacity.

Approach

Shooting Star quickly reviewed the hospital’s communication channels and devised a PR plan. The team uses a mixture of social media, website content and targeted news releases to showcase the hospital as a place to work as well as a healthcare facility, and to highlight the national Choose and Book scheme, investment, health promotion and community initiatives and event sponsorship.

The Shooting Star team also supports St Hugh’s during several events outside of the usual nine to five, to capture photos and video and deliver social media content. These events have included the Ride with the Pros cycling sessions and the Lincolnshire Health Awards judging panel and ceremony.

Results

Since the start of the contract, PR activity has generated 87 pieces of predominantly local print media coverage which reached three million people.

The hospital’s support of the Sporting Memories initiative at Grimsby Town Football Club was also featured on Estuary TV’s news programme.

On social media, page likes on Facebook have increased by 111% since the beginning of the contract.

The website is always full of the latest community news, investment and development stories, new staff introductions and the latest research findings updates.

My aim is to raise the public profile of St Hugh’s Hospital around our service provision, NHS partnerships and charitable status. While the healthcare sector can be complex at times, Kerri has continued to impress us with her dedication and results, but most of all by her friendly and supportive approach.

We have achieved a much greater public voice, helped acknowledge the great work being done by our team and shared information to help improve the experience of our patients and service users. I look forward to continuing the working relationship and would highly recommend Kerri’s team to healthcare organisations.

Ashley Brown Hospital Director at HMT St Hugh’s Hospital

We’ve been receiving PR advice and support for more than a year from the Shooting Star team. I have been impressed by how quickly they got up to speed with healthcare issues and terminology and I feel like they are able to help us respond to topical news quickly and effectively.

They have supported the hospital with PR, marketing and social media content and have provided advice during potential crisis communications situations.

Two of our main aims included raising awareness of the national Choose and Book scheme and of our work within the local community. Through traditional PR, ongoing media relations and social media support, I feel that the local community has a better understanding of our offering.

Gary Allington Health Promotions Officer at HMT St Hugh’s Hospital