Three social marketing research briefs for NHS East Lancashire are being undertaken by digital marketing agency, Amaze.
In an effort to identify health care inequalities, Amaze’s social marketing specialists will use in-depth research techniques to monitor behavioural trends within hard to reach groups of the community who have rejected or are unaware that professional advice and support services are available.
Across the three projects, Amaze and the NHS East Lancashire will be focusing on women suffering from mental health issues during the perinatal period (five months prior and one month following childbirth), nicotine addiction among pregnant women and uptake of smoking cessation services in ‘routine and manual’ workers and BME groups to identify the key influences that create barriers between prospective patients and the trust’s services.
The projects are being lead by the Amaze specialist social marketing team. Methods implemented will include ethnographic studies demanding sustained, in-depth contact with the subjects, audio and video monitoring and engagement with key influencers both within the community and the trust itself.
Amaze’s research methods will involve a broad range of stakeholders in the initial stages, including those associated to the trust and professionals working in healthcare at large along with participants’ family and friends. More thorough levels of engagement are designed to not only enrich the quality of data but also encourage universal buy-in and enhance the prospect of achieving long-term behavioural change.
Kellie Sharp, Business Development Manager and lead on the Social Marketing team, commented: “Many PCTs don’t realise the wealth of research opportunities available to them. NHS East Lancashire have recognised the need to go beyond the traditional focus group research and we’re pleased they have chosen to work with us and take advantage of our integrated research and marketing offer.
“To identify clear goals in achieving sustained changes in attitude for social benefit, we first need to understand what barriers exist in the community and why. We will be working with the trust to find the appropriate mix of participants, their friends and family, and use a range of techniques to deliver information of an appropriate depth.”
David Rogers, Head of Communications at NHS East Lancs, said: “Our campaign to save a million years of life requires intelligent engagement with our communities to help understand their needs and to develop appropriate strategies to respond to these. We are committed to making a difference which is why we are working with Amaze on this important project. In order to fully understand their experiences, we’ll be listening to people, those who influence them and the professionals working in the NHS. Based on this research, we’ll make the changes necessary to ensure they receive the essential support they require.”
This work builds on the success of numerous projects already completed by Amaze’s established Social Marketing team for PCTs across the region including Tameside and Glossop. The creative and support the team has provided for Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT’s recent ‘Health Trainers’ project has been so successful that it is currently being evaluated for a national rollout.