Oxford Academic Health Partners
Defining messages and purpose through a new communications strategy
Oxford Academic Health Partners cultivate NHS-University partnerships that expand Oxfordshire’s capacity for health and care innovation, improved clinical training and cross-disciplinary collaborative research. It is hosted in Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and was designated as one of eight academic health science centres by NHS England in 2020.
The brief
OAHP works independently across the University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University, Oxfordshire's two NHS Trusts and Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley, bringing together senior leadership to develop and agree shared strategic objectives.
The team wanted a distinctive way of talking to partners about what they do, OAHP’s work to create a shared vision for health and care research, and the value of partnership working across Oxford’s world-renowned innovation ecosystem.
This involved developing a research and corporate communications strategy that could be delivered by OAHP’s small operational team.
Our response
Brainstorming session with the operational team to discuss communications and operational objectives.
Desk-based research.
Review of existing communications and engagement activities.
Semi-structured interviews with a broad range of stakeholders and partners to gather insights and perspectives, develop and test ideas.
A comprehensive stakeholder analysis that used the Situational Theory of Publics to segment priority stakeholders for engagement.
Deliverables
In collaboration with OAHP’s core team, an objective-driven communications and engagement strategy was produced. This included a series of recommended communications activities that could be delivered with the level of resource available.
This strategy also included:
an audience-focused key message framework with storytelling tactics,
detailed communications implementation plan for Year 1,
social media review and improvement toolkit,
new copy to deploy across the organisational website.
Campus PR now deliver regular case studies and ongoing communications support for OAHP, including annual communications plans.