Support for NHS communicators
Communications and engagement are crucial to high performing systems and organisations. We are supporting communicators across the NHS.
Effective communications and engagement play a key role in supporting integrated care systems, and the partners that make them up, to achieve stronger relationships, more open and transparent ways of working, greater trust, more engaged staff and, ultimately, better outcomes for the public.
We are supporting communications and engagement leaders working in integrated care systems and the partners that comprise them. Our support includes:
- AI: Supporting communications professionals to build capability in artificial intelligence to improve their communications activities. Highlights include the development of an operating framework and an AI healthcare communications forum that we will launch in May 2025. Register your interest in joining the forum.
- ICS Communications Forum: The first dedicated network for integrated care system communications and engagement leaders. If you are working in a communications role in an ICS organisation that is a member of the NHS Confederation, please contact Claudine Weeks if you would like to join the forum.
- A national taskforce on improving diversity in NHS communications that we are delivering in partnership with NHS Providers.
- NHS Communicate: An initiative that we run in partnership with NHS Providers and the Centre for Health Communication Research. We deliver an annual conference and awards that celebrates best practice in the NHS communications profession. Our next conference is due to be held in spring 2026.
- Postgraduate qualification in health communication and consultation: This is a new postgraduate qualification in health communication and consultation and is designed for the next generation of professional NHS communicators. The course is led by the Centre for Health Communication Research and the NHS Confederation is one of the main organisations that support it.
- Regular thought leadership and research into communications practice, including a report into ‘the state of NHS communications’ based on the most significant benchmarking analysis of NHS communications teams that has been undertaken.
- A dedicated bulletin for NHS communications leads that you can sign up to.
Our work in this area is led by Daniel Reynolds, director of communications.
