The global pandemic has taken the “White Paper” production line into overdrive. Be it stating the obvious, exploring what “unprecedented” really means or actually giving useful insight, everyone has something to say on the matter. The impact of COVID-19 has been felt globally from the sales of a Mexican lager with a shared etymology with the disease, to Primark almost immediately being cut off from every single customer they have. The disease has pulled marketers away from their beanbags, and back to the drawing board / post its / interactive white boards.
The various marketing solutions to navigating a global pandemic can be explored in the aforementioned white papers, but personally, the real success story lies with the NHS. All over the UK, marketing “adapt or die” brainstorms have reached the same conclusion: give the NHS free stuff. Free food, free beers, free jewellery, the promise of free holidays once they’ve swooped in and saved us all from this crisis. It must be the best advertising campaign the welfare state has seen in its 100 year history, somewhat ironic with the nation voting in a Conservative government less than 6 months ago.
Before the coronavirus outbreak, nearly 90% of the British public said they were proud of the NHS and we marched into this crisis with true British stoicism and our public healthcare system was our drum major. But as the weeks go on and safety measures become more relaxed the rest of the band seems to be quietening. Fewer people are clapping on a Thursday, the pace of contributions to NHS charities is slowing and I’m concerned we’re going to look at the “one man band” and wonder why well paid doctors are asking for more money? We will complain about the long waits in A&E, be alarmed at the contradictory nature of the inconsistent care we receive and despair at the waiting lists for specialist care.
We have all now settled into our relatively comfortable working from home setup, and whilst we can still face a hard day’s work with difficult clients, slow processes and contradictory information, this does not lead to an increased risk of people dying. Undoubtedly, this is a path of the course with a role on the “front line” of the NHS, but when systemic failures results in risking lives, I can imagine a free beer doesn’t quite manage to take the edge off. I have always had an evangelical view of NHS workers, be it for their intelligence, compassion or their ability to face any case of projectile bodily fluid with utmost professionalism. I was even more amazed when I realised these mere mortals have to treat our symptoms as statistics to achieve targets instead of treating them like the complex illnesses they are. Its a system that I will never fully understand, but I can’t help but empathise with these selfless, exhausted, debt ridden people for having to work for a system that fundamentally is working against their Hippocratic oath and wonder is a free beer the answer?
The issue is that the NHS is not a charity. The NHS is an underfunded, poorly resourced public service and whilst the support from other brands is admirable, it doesn’t solve the problem. Regardless of our political or social standing, our attitude towards the NHS presents us with a very British juxtaposition. Our innate need to moan whilst queuing for treatment from the healthcare system we so vehemently defend often results in the worst outcome of all, apathy.
The NHS has grown exponentially since its inception, but the sheer size of the beast means its very difficult to optimise its processes. I imagine it to have become the organisational equivalent of the Weasley’s home in Harry Potter, and the foundations are no longer fit for purpose. In a magical wizarding world we would rebuild our healthcare system from scratch. Teams of consultants would go in, post it notes would fly, whiteboards would cover the whole hospital, all our medical history would be put in The Cloud and communication would become seamless, instantaneously. With a nation sized variation of healthcare needs, the NHS would redefine the meaning of a personalised customer journey, based on close to 60 million unique user stories that take us from cradle to coffin. In reality, the government can’t afford consultants as they spend millions of pounds each year on agency staff because agency staff can save lives and consultants, sadly, cannot.
Its difficult to understand how I can help the NHS on an individual level. Despite the support my blog has had, describing myself as a “thought leader” would be a (minor) exaggeration and so I will not be throwing another White Paper into the ether. This is fortunate for my mum and my housemates having to read this, because their interests don’t lie in advanced analytics or AI implementation methodologies. But, how I can help is by expressing the intelligence and compassion NHS workers have extended to me and my family in my lifetime to educate myself to explore my options when exercising my democratic right, signing petitions and voting with my money.
So, without any grand proposals of implementing a new project management tool, using PowerApps, SoftTools and a super shiny CRM system, it seems disappointing but I will continue to thank the NHS from afar. I will continue to treat them as a charity and yes, I have booked myself into receive an eye test, so cheers to that.
