Awards success for communications team

The communications team at Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) came top in two categories at the annual Communicating Health Awards held in Birmingham on 22 November.

 

The awards, run by the Association of Healthcare Communication and Marketing (link above right), recognise outstanding achievements in communicating health messages and engaging with patients and public.

 

The CUH team won the 'best media handling' category for the way they build the reputation of the Trust through broadcast media. The award entry focused on the BAFTA winning BBC documentary Between Life and Death which was filmed in the neurosciences critical care unit at Addenbrooke's – part of CUH.

 

The team went on to win the 'best website' category for the children at Addenbrooke's website – a bright, vibrant and engaging website specifically designed for children and teenagers.

 

Speaking of the team's achievement, director of communications Ruth Murphy said: "I am exceedingly proud of my team and this great achievement. These two projects demonstrate outstanding communications skills and a real passion for informing, educating and reassuring our patients."

 

The documentary Between Life and Death gave over two and a half million TV viewers experience of life inside the very busy neurosciences critical care unit at Addenbrooke's hospital and followed the treatment of patients with major head injuries.

 

Ruth Murphy continued: "Our aim in allowing the BBC to film this documentary was not only to promote the expertise of our clinical staff but also to challenge perceptions created by 'TV drama' versions of life in a critical care unit and to show people what it's really like."

 

The children at Addenbrooke's website was created to help demystify what happens in hospital. The needs, reading ability and level of understanding of a young child differ greatly to those of a teenager so the website was developed in three micro-sites targeted at different age groups - under six, six to 10, and 11+.

 

Speaking about the award-winning website Ruth Murphy said: "This website was created at the express wish of our younger patients who wanted new patient to know what to expect when they come into hospital. They worked with our web editor to help shape the style, design, language and content for each site."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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