Importance of Internal Communication in Healthcare

Internal communications are important in any organisation but when you are talking about a high-pressure environment like healthcare it can become even more critical.  A bad internal communications strategy or ignoring it altogether can have dire consequences.  Getting staff engaged with your organisation’s communications can be challenging at the best of times, throw in a pandemic, when staff at the frontline will be time-poor and under pressure, and it can be hard to ensure important messages get to the right people.

Why is internal communication so important?

The Institute of Internal Communication says, “At the most basic level, you have to communicate well at the right time, so employees know what is expected of them and what is happening in the organisation. At a deeper level, for employees to feel engaged with their workplace and give their best, they have to see that their organisation cares about their views and understand how their role contributes towards overall business objectives.” A report published by the Institute for Employment Studies suggests that engaged employees perform 20% better than nonengaged employees.  It goes on to say, “engaged individuals invest themselves fully in their work, with increased self‐efficacy and a positive impact upon health and wellbeing, which in turn evokes increased employee support for the organisation.”

Engaged employees perform 20% better than nonengaged employees. – The Institute for Employment Studies

Why is Internal Communication important in healthcare?

In healthcare, this becomes even more important as the consequences of miscommunication can be disastrous. Zara Martin, Head of COVID Testing at an NHS Trust says, “Staff need to know the aims, values, and expectations of the organisation, as well as the rules and regulations, to maintain health and safety standards and quality of care, providing good outcomes for patients as well as good experiences.  With a large workforce often reliant on temporary staffing, it is vital that everyone working in the Trust receives the same message and delivers that same standard of service.” Francesca Durrell, Covid Testing Service Manager, echoes this “It is vital to ensure that everyone is up to date with the information needed to run their service taking into account other departments working to create a seamless experience for the patient.”

“With a large workforce often reliant on temporary staffing, it is vital that everyone working in the Trust receives the same message and delivers that same standard of service.” – Zara Martin, Head of COVID Testing at an NHS Trust

What happens when Internal Communications break down?

For most organisations, a lack of good internal communications can result in employees feeling disengaged and demotivated and can result in a high turnover of staff. This can impact outward communications too. If employees have not been kept up to date with external messaging, then they might not be able to offer the level of customer service the organisation would like, which can reflect badly.

When these communications break down in a healthcare setting it can impact patient care and safety. In some instances, this can mean appointments getting double-booked, but it can also have much more serious consequences. “A void will always be filled, whether by internal comms, rumour, speculation, or just gossip.” says Hazel Gleed, Deputy Divisional Manager at an NHS Trust, “The latter can result in patient harm, and damage morale and retention of staff.” Gossip will always work its way into the workplace but if internal communication is done well, any concerns that arise from the spread of misinformation can be clarified quickly.

A member of senior management from an NHS Trust adds “hospitals employ thousands of staff working a 24/7 shift pattern, so if Comms breaks down teams could start to work in silos and that is not the most effective or efficient way to run a hospital.” Once this starts to happen it can be hard to fix without a clear communications strategy in place.

Why have an Internal Communication strategy?

The bigger the organisation, the more important and trickier it can be to maintain good internal communications. For SMEs, communicating messages to staff can be as simple as a quick email, a message on Teams, or just shouting across the office.  For the large and complex organisations you find in healthcare, a more thought out and strategic approach is needed. Hazel says, “I don’t think it’s unusual to have upwards of 5000 members of staff, sometimes spread across large geographies, as part of a single organisation delivering healthcare.” Reaching that number of staff already poses challenges but when you also add in the fact that many of these staff are frontline and not in front of a computer all day, finding ways to effectively get important information to them requires thinking a bit beyond emails or a Zoom call.  So, alongside classic comms such as emails, newsletters, and CEO updates, they also need to find other ways to reach staff such as daily huddles, social media forums, ward visits, and messages in payslips to name but a few.  Co-ordinating all these different methods requires a strategic approach.

Organisations should avoid sending out blanket comms across all channels wherever possible and instead find the right channel for the right audience.

Organisations should avoid sending out blanket comms across all channels wherever possible and instead find the right channel for the right audience.  Busy staff don’t need to get the same message in an email, and a huddle and on social media and from the CEO.  This waters down the importance of the message and can result in communications fatigue where staff feel bombarded.  Having a clear strategy that segments staff groups and the most useful channels of communication for them, will enable messaging to reach the right people without risking the same message getting delivered five times.

How has COVID 19 impacted Internal Communications in healthcare?

A global pandemic is going to put an obvious strain on communications in healthcare. “During the pandemic, good internal communications have become even more important.” says Zara. “Guidance has regularly changed based on risk levels. Keeping all staff, patients, and visitors safe has been the biggest priority. At the start of the pandemic, an Incident Coordination Centre was established to manage the Trust’s messaging and response.  All updates and decisions go through that centre. Daily bulletins with key updates and guidance have been sent to all staff and managers are responsible for cascading those bulletins for those not computer-based.” 

What systems can be used for Internal Communications?

Any system that is available within the organisation can be an option for internal comms.  It is more important to consider if it is the right channel for the audience.  For example, setting up a company Facebook group to deliver key messages is pointless if half the staff are not on Facebook. If staff do not have access to a computer during the workday or time to read emails, then sharing important, time-restricted information via email is just not going to work. Some organisations make the mistake of investing in expensive software for communications without really assessing if staff have the time or inclination to use it.

For members of staff that are regularly on-site visits, a simple WhatsApp group might be enough to deliver key messages throughout the day, with a weekly round-up email for when they have time to digest more detailed information. Finding the right system can be as simple as asking staff how they would like to be communicated to.

Organisations that underestimate the importance of internal communications are likely to find that this has an impact on staff engagement, staff turnover, and revenue.  For complex organisations like healthcare providers, it is evident that lack of clear communications also has a significant and potentially dangerous impact on patient care and safety.  Developing a clear and cohesive approach to internal communications that works well for both staff and the organisation minimises the risk of misunderstanding and mistakes and will ultimately save the organisation time and money. For support with developing an Internal Communications strategy, please contact Viva to discuss your requirements.

References

“Why is IC Important”, The Institute of Internal Communications, https://www.ioic.org.uk/about-ioic/why-is-ic-important

Gemma Robertson-Smith & Carl Markwick (2009), ‘Employee Engagement – A Review of Current Thinking’, Institute for Employment Studies, https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/system/files/resources/files/469.pdf