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Assignment Effective Communication

The document discusses a case study on the Niagara Health System in Ontario and its efforts to improve communications. At the time, hospital communications were becoming more complex due to factors like social media and demands for transparency. Niagara Health System faced issues like a C. difficile outbreak and lacked community trust and support. A short-term strategy involved meeting with critics to understand issues and build initial relationships. A long-term strategy recognized the need to change organizational culture and institutionalize transparent communications practices to restore public confidence over time. Key stakeholders affected included the board, community members, media, and hospital employees.

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Aashu Prabhakar
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83 views

Assignment Effective Communication

The document discusses a case study on the Niagara Health System in Ontario and its efforts to improve communications. At the time, hospital communications were becoming more complex due to factors like social media and demands for transparency. Niagara Health System faced issues like a C. difficile outbreak and lacked community trust and support. A short-term strategy involved meeting with critics to understand issues and build initial relationships. A long-term strategy recognized the need to change organizational culture and institutionalize transparent communications practices to restore public confidence over time. Key stakeholders affected included the board, community members, media, and hospital employees.

Uploaded by

Aashu Prabhakar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Assignment- Effective Communication

Topic-Niagara Health System: An Innovative communications strategy (Case Study)

Q1. Discuss the health care environment in Ontario at the time of the case, focusing on the field of
hospital communications. Identify the key trends and best practices in hospital communications.

Ans. The Field of healthcare communications was becoming increasingly complex in Ontario. The
unpredictable Hospital care meant that crisis communications were a regular occurrence.

. Several Patients and consumer trends were causing this shift. Patients and the general public have
diminishing capacities to trust and support Hospitals, as patients leveraged social media to become
informed and involve themselves in day-to-day operations.

. Media in general began to scrutinize organisations in crisis, in response to customer demands for
such stories. Finally, the field of public relations in healthcare was slowly shifting its communication
approach from the “positive spin” to authenticity- indicating that hospitals are encouraged to be
transparent and open to general public.

. This concept of hospital transparency was further developed in 2010, when the ministry of Health
and long-term care passed the Excellent care for all act was passed refocussing on healthcare system
to meet the needs of the patient’s and community, and put them at the centre of the system.

Generally, in most of the strategic plans not included any public opinions but instead they focus on
financial ownership, Quality, Strategy, Patient satisfaction and employee engagement.

Hospitals were quickly realizing that poor crisis engagement and negative public opinions had to lose
of trust, fewer donations, lack of volunteers. There is an urgent need to gain public support and
confidence.

Q2. Identify the main issues faced by the Niagara Health System at the time of the case. Identify the
relevant stakeholders affected by these issues, including their competing values and concerns.

Ans. The network of Hospitals within the “Niagara Health System” had been struggling with public
reputation and opinions for more than 10 years. It was quickly become apparent that Niagara health
system challenges extended towards the outbreak. To regain confidence of community initially new
communication and strategy was desperately needed.
The types of stakeholders who were affected: -

1) Internal Stakeholders-First of all we need to understand that we need to attain a significant


support of the hospital Board on choosing “Communications Strategy”. During speaking with
communications team, it was clear that board of directors had Historically been counselled
to take more conservative approach in communicating, which was at the odds of emerging
trend of increased transparency and willingness to work with media as valued colleagues.

Wood counselled that the needed strategy was much more transparent and forthcoming
“emphasizing timely, rapid turnaround of information, apology once necessary, commitment
to do better, maximizing on transparency on what going on,etc”.The approach was
grounded in academic best practices and with conclusive evidence.

2) External Stakeholders-The C difficile outbreak was a atypical crisis in terms of transparency


and communication. Because hospitals in Ontario was not technically required a media to
declare a outbreak, communication strategies tended to differ greatly from community to
community. For e.g., Wood provided face sheet and inform the public that has also helped
media with questions and analysis.
Unfortunately, still there is a constrained relationship with media St Joseph Healthcare
Hamilton.

Q3. Devise both a short-term and long-term strategy to mend the relationship between the Niagara
Health System and the local community. How does this strategy affect or resolve the key stakeholder
issues previously identified?

Ans. 1) Short term strategy-Even before Dr.Flynn had begun developing the community trust and
reputation report, Wood was reviewing all the media clippings to identify the outspoken people. In
his experience “the people that are more outspoken want to be part of the solution, even they are
harshly critical. Wood met the several upset Mayors, advocacy group leaders and community
members to understand main issues and initiate positive working relationships.

2)From these brief meetings, it was clear that community did not feel like it as a part of hospital.
Common responses Wood heard included: “We do not trust the hospital, we had bad experiences, it
is being very tough to get information, the relationship is adversarial, we don’t agree with the plan,
but when we criticize the plan than we are sloughed off.” There was lack of trust and confidence.

3)There is an urgent need to take media into confidence before media in Niagara felt neglected by
NHS after years of poor or no responsiveness from the hospital. The staff at the regions three daily
newspapers, seven weekly newspapers, several radio and television networks and community blogs,
all were dissatisfied by NHS.

As the result of these poor relationships, nearly all the media coverage of NHS represented negative
stories.
4)Leadership Changeover-In the process of attempting to improve on its reputation and public
perception, the NHS experienced the significant amount of leadership changeover. In fact, “probably
about 50% of the leadership team[had] turned over the course of the process. The effect presented
and interesting dilemma for the NHS, as members of the community perceived the change in
leadership to be a good sign that change a happening: However, it may have had a negative residual
impact over internal organization. The high frequency of turnover left several employees of NHS
feeling undervalued and negatively affected morale.

5)Long term strategy-Wood recognize that the communication challenges the NHS were facing the
deeper organizational culture problem. Hospital leadership knew that regardless of the strategic
approach taken, the communication strategy and culture should be unified to achieve a shared goal.
The organization needed to institutionalize into common organizational practice the
communications and public relations approaches that were used in mediating the C. difficile crisis
and those that were leveraged to restore public confidence.

Prepared by:

Aashu Prabhakar

Dr.Vineet Gupta

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