Your feedback
We want feedback on the District’s communication strategy.
This strategy will help us achieve the District’s Strategic Plan, transform staff and patient experiences and support health literacy.
You can see the full strategy document attached, or navigate through the highlights below.
At the bottom of this page is a survey for you to provide your feedback.
The survey closes 5pm on Sunday 2 February 2025.
Introduction
Strategic and planned communications play a critical role in how our staff, patients, carers, community and stakeholders experience our District. Each and every touchpoint and interaction sends a message and these cumulative messages maintain our reputation, enhance understanding and influence trust, pride and engagement.
The way we communicate is ever evolving. New digital platforms, social media, diverse communities and cultural backgrounds, changes in community expectations, the 24-hour news cycle and a diminished local media landscape are all changing the way organisations, staff and community members interact.
Communities increasingly expect and deserve two-way communication and engagement which provide opportunities to collect and provide feedback, and respond in real time whether online or face-to-face.
We must make greater use of our own channels, particularly digital channels, to connect with and enable the community. Carefully designed and curated user-centred engagement, communication and content development supports health literacy and access to information, improves the patient experience and provides opportunities to build connections.
However, as new digital channels emerge (e.g. social media and content platforms), audiences and messages become increasingly fragmented. Each channel requires its own governance, audience strategy, channel-specific content and, for two-way channels, monitoring and community management. And, as most are opt-in channels, we are more often than not speaking to those already engaged with our District. We must find ways to reach beyond our existing audiences.
To deepen our reach we must continue to engage directly with communities and partner with stakeholders. With careful listening, we can quickly respond, build engagement, drive improvements and enable communities in their health care.
- Transform experience through person-centred communications
- Enable workforce and community
- Transparent, timely, accurate information
- Prioritise and plan proactive opportunities
- Streamline and maximise ‘owned’ channels
- Digital-first, multi-use, channel-optimised content
- Build reputation
How we will get there
Our strategic directions:
Communication focus:
Transform care and experiences through compelling, person-centred communications that build trust, drive behaviour and enable access to timely and relevant information.
Why this focus?
Each and every touchpoint we have with the community has the potential to impact health outcomes and experiences.
Accessible, patient-centred and accurate information ensures patients understand their treatment and care, and can easily navigate our services.
Moving away from traditional printed materials and towards digital communications platforms enables the community and ensures access to the very latest information.
Showcasing the expertise of our health professionals builds credibility in our services.
Providing opportunities for patients, consumers and stakeholders to engage with us, give feedback and hear updates on our progress builds trust and helps us design better services.
Communication focus:
Promote health and wellbeing by enabling access to timely and relevant information and seeking community input to build trust and drive behaviour.
Why this focus?
Ensuring understanding of health services and information helps people make informed, healthy choices and navigate the health system.
Communication is foundational to establishing and building strong local partnerships. By highlighting our shared values and collaboration, we amplify our voices for greater reach.
Building opportunities for two-way communication, engagement and feedback helps us understand perspectives and produce targeted communications that work.
Access to timely, relevant and up-to-date information enables our communities and fosters connections that will continue to grow.
Communication focus:
Engage and enable our current and future workforce, reflecting our positive workplace culture, leadership, diversity, values and strengths.
Why this focus?
Delivering safe, high-quality care and positive experiences requires an expert workforce coupled with a thriving workplace culture.
Our communications ecosystem must enable staff through streamlined access to information and resources, and build and reflect culture by highlighting behaviours and actions of value to our colleagues, patients and community.
Our District has so much to offer. How we represent ourselves and value our people and their achievements helps us attract and retain the very best talent.
Communication focus:
Be recognised for our thriving research culture, future-focused health experts and innovation.
Why this focus?
Over the past decade the south west region has seen population growth and investment in communities including the significant redevelopment of NSW Health facilities.
Together with a strong research legacy, academic connections, partnerships with institutes, universities and industry, and the digital revolution within healthcare, our District is firmly focused on driving innovation and the future of health.
Showcasing our leadership in this space recognises our people and attracts new talent, partners and funding.
Communication focus:
Promote healthcare and environmental sustainability.
Why this focus?
Our approach to sustainability is multi-faceted and designed to ensure the services we provide can continue well into the future.
As a public health service, we are responsible for making the most of the resources available to us and providing the most appropriate mix of health services for the community.
This means focusing on value-based care, where each person gets the right care at the right time. Caring for the community also means caring for the environment.
Communications can inspire staff, leaders and the community to change the way they access or provide care, understand their impact on the environment and take action to make the best use of our resources to benefit us all.
