Transforming internal communications for NHUC

The challenge

North Hampshire Urgent Care (NHUC) faced a considerable challenge with its internal communications. The existing framework lacked structure, leading to an inconsistent flow of information across the organisation. Employees were receiving up to eight emails a week from various departments – this led to frustration, with some staff members unsubscribing from the emails and subsequently missing critical updates.

Without an effective system for targeting specific employee groups, such as drivers, receptionists, or GPs, everyone received all communications, causing relevant information to often get lost. The lack of role-specific targeting not only led to key messages being overlooked but also contributed to a general sense of disengagement among staff.

The Trust had recently introduced an intranet, NHUC Connect, intended to serve as a centralised hub for information. However, the uptake had been slower than expected. Staff faced challenges with logging in, largely due to unfamiliarity with the system, difficulties with password requirements, and some understandable hesitation towards change. To address these issues, NHUC turned to onebite for a solution.

The thinking

onebite’s approach began with a thorough investigation into understanding the root causes of the communication problems. This process started with meetings involving the senior leadership team to gather their thoughts on the current communications system, including their likes, dislikes, needs, and suggestions. These discussions were helpful in uncovering the pain points and frustrations experienced by different employee groups, with particular attention given to GPs who had specific concerns.

Recognising that some staff members were too busy to participate in the meetings, onebite also sent out surveys via email. These were carefully segmented by job role to capture a detailed breakdown of concerns across the organisation. The insights gained from both the meetings and surveys provided a clear picture of the issues at hand, allowing onebite to devise a strategy shaped to NHUC’s unique needs.

The execution

Armed with a thorough understanding of the challenges, onebite set about executing a comprehensive communication strategy. The first step was to create a structured approach to internal communications. This involved developing segmented communications for different job roles so that staff would only receive information relevant to their roles. Communications were categorised under five main headings (such as forms, surveys, and staff updates) and designed with distinctive, colour-coordinated templates that aligned with the client’s branding. This made it easier for employees to quickly identify the relevance of each message.

To overcome the issue of email overload, onebite introduced a structured schedule for communications – a weekly newsletter was set to be sent every Friday, and the process encouraged staff to critically evaluate the necessity of additional messages. This approach not only reduced the volume of emails but also ensured that messages were timely and relevant.

Driving engagement with the NHUC Connect intranet was another key element of the strategy. onebite incorporated clear calls to action in the emails, urging staff to log in to the intranet for more detailed information. The communications were crafted to be approachable and user-friendly, addressing the practical needs of employees and making the new system feel more accessible.

Throughout the implementation phase, onebite worked closely with the client, providing support in writing and designing the initial newsletters and communications. They also assisted the senior leadership team with creating a quarterly newsletter, ensuring that they were well-equipped to continue the process independently.

As part of this support, onebite produced a comprehensive tone of voice guide, providing a clear framework for the senior leadership team when writing for an internal audience. This guide equipped them with the confidence and know-how to deliver clear, concise, and relevant information that employees would actually read. It also outlined how to craft communications that make staff feel engaged, informed, and involved in decision-making, while maintaining consistency and using a structure that motivates people to take action.

Additionally, guidance was provided on maintaining a friendly yet authoritative tone in communications, along with best practices for framing calls to action and assessing the necessity of each message.

The results

The implementation of the new strategy significantly improved the efficiency of the client’s internal communications. By reducing the volume of emails and ensuring that only relevant messages reached employees, the strategy eased the previous issues of excessive emails and improved overall staff engagement.

The integration of clear calls to action successfully drove increased traffic to the NHUC Connect intranet, which had previously been underutilised. The new approach not only addressed immediate communication challenges but also laid the groundwork for long-term improvements, including the development of a single sign-in system we recommended, which is set to significantly increase user engagement.

NHUC connect adoption April 24 – October 24

NHUC connect adoption April 24 - October 24 Data showing increased visits to the intranet following the implementation of the new strategy. Numbers include TalkPlus logins.

The feedback from the client was overwhelmingly positive, with the senior leadership team actively engaged throughout the process. As Steve Clarke, Director of Governance at NHUC noted:

“onebite have been instrumental in improving our approach to internal communications. They took the time to get to know our people and our organisation and have become ‘one of the team’ themselves. They have empowered and educated our teams through the provision of an Internal Communications Guide and a flexible range of communications templates whilst also taking the lead in providing written copy for key communications when requested. Our key point of contact Annabel is responsive, thoughtful and swift in providing expert communications advice and outputs; whilst also being a pleasure to work with.”

By addressing the core challenges with a bespoke strategy and hands-on execution, onebite demonstrated its expertise in internal communications, delivering both immediate and longlasting benefits for NHUC.