Communicating change
It is important to communicate the change your improvement project will bring about by engaging relevant stakeholders and creating awareness through engagement activities.
A Stakeholder Engagement Plan is a way to communicate with project stakeholders (patients, carers, families and clinicians/non-clinical staff on the ward/unit, hospital executives etc) to achieve their support for the project. It specifies the frequency and type of communications and communication activities that will help communicate, build and maintain stakeholder engagement with your improvement project at all levels.
See the attached document for further information on developing a Stakeholder Engagement Plan for your REACH project.
Each of your stakeholder groups will have unique characteristics, needs and motivations and will require different engagement activities to communicate with them effectively.
Some ideas include:
- Using hospital/service wide communication channels, such as a newsletter, intranet etc.
- Using local nursing, medical and allied health champions to advocate for improvement and support clinicians on the floor
- Creating a display board on the wards/units/service setting or fact sheet handout with education, information and data about the improvement project
- Setting a standing agenda item or providing a PowerPoint presentation at relevant meetings
- Using double staffing time or staff meeting to provide short, regular updates
- Creating posters, lanyards and computer screensavers
- Holding a project launch, workshop or integrate engagement activities into existing local events e.g. Grand Rounds.
- Conducting a quiz, creating social media posts or sending email communications
- Distributing information to general practitioner Visiting Medical Officers (in rural and regional areas).