Crisis communications and

community engagement

Reducing community risk – August 2020

As coronavirus continues to impact our health and way of life we are left

wondering what the consequential effects or further shifts in the situation

will have. What we do know is that the considered steps we make now to

further mitigate the impact are crucial and must not be underestimated.

Through situation analysis and partnership working, the Communications & Engagement Team

at NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group continues to support those that are more

vulnerable or at risk of becoming seriously ill, including:

• People aged over 70 and those with long term heath conditions

• Children and Young People

• First time parents/famillies – Mental Health

• Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.

Introduction/Context

Understanding individual

behaviours, beliefs and

attitudes of our

communities ensures

communications

land in the right way,

place and time.

Understanding our community

Bolton Council

NHS Bolton Foundation Trust

Bolton at Home

Hindu Forum

Bolton Families

Information Service

Equalities Target Action Group

Public Health Bolton

Interfaith

BAMER Alliance

Bolton CVS

UCANs

LGBT+

Maternity Voices Partnership

BCoM

Bolton Health Watch

Community Asset

Navigators

(Primary, Secondary & Further Education

Libraries

Asian Elders

Age UK

Key messages need to be understood and recognised by all…

• Browsealoud (service that supports the translation of our website) has seen a considerable

increase in languages being read aloud by the text to speech software.

At times of UK Government briefings there has been increased requests for website information

to be read aloud in, Urdu and French.

• Big Word telephone translation services. We have extended the use of our Big Word telephone

translation services to support our community without English as a first language. This provides

commissioned services access to essential telephone counselling sessions during this pandemic.

• Sign Health and Interpreter Now

The use of face coverings and PPE has created a difficult environment for our deaf community.

We have worked with Bolton Deaf Society to identify resources and services that can support

equitable access for deaf people in Bolton.

The introduction of the Interpreter Now service will compliment our face-to-face translation service

from Action On Hearing Loss.

Our approach

Accessibility

Bolton has significant levels of deprivation and more than 12,000

children (around 20%) live in low income families (CYP

Transformation Plan refresh 20/21).

There was a concern early on in the pandemic that there was a risk

some vulnerable families would become ‘hidden’ to the services that

were there to help them and that the reduction in face-to-face contact

would be detrimental to their progress and development.

There were also concerns about the mental health and wellbeing of

such families and of children and young people themselves.

Considered communications:

Children and Young People (CYP)

As a CCG we work

with our partners

to ensure that our

children and young

people have the

best possible

start in life.

‘Considered’ communications

Children and Young People (CYP)

Social media

graphics

Supplied copy

for printed

publications

www.bekindtomymind

website – adding HC

Professionals section

CYP Newsletter

highlighting

available

‘support’ Instagram

Social

Campaign

**Planned Parent-Infant mental

health communications**

As Covid-19 hit, those who were aged over 70 and people

classed as clinically extremely vulnerable were particularly at

risk of becoming seriously ill if they contracted the virus.

These groups were asked to isolate or shield, which meant

they had very little – if any – interaction with other people.

While a lot of people older people are tech-savvy, there

remains some who do not have access to the internet or

regularly access information online, in these case digital

exclusion means we engage and communicate in different

ways.

Considered communications:

Over 70 and at risk

Like lots of

localities we

have an ageing

population, many

with serious long

term health

conditions.

‘Considered’ communications

Over 70s and at risk

Social graphics

communicating

health risks and

support

Local media

coverage

(online

and printed)

offering

reassurance

& signposts

Printed communications to ensure

no one is digitally excluded

With many of our BAME populations living in large multi-generational

households and in key worker, or low paid roles (where they are less

likely to be able to work from home or socially distance at work) we

have seen a rising transmission of covid.

Throughout the pandemic we have, and continue to work hard to

ensure all communication pathways are open, reactive and

responsive to the conversations we have.

Whilst social distancing has changed the way we would typically

engage within our communities, our commitment to ensure our

communities voice is heard remains the same.

Considered communications:

Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME)

Sadly it

is evidenced

that those

from a BAME

background are

adversely

affected by

Covid-19

Community engagement

Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME)

Bolton Council of

Mosques (BCoM)

Bolton Hindu Forum

Befriending Refugees and Asylum Seekers

(BRASS) Asian Elders

Flowhesion Foundation

Interfaith Forum

Europa

Bolton Solidarity

Community Association

Forging new relationships

and strengthening others within

our BAME communities has

become a key objective

during Covid.

Community engagement

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Emerging themes…

There are still low levels

of literacy. Even if you

produce materials in other

languages, you should

consider other formats.

We find it hard

to attend online

meetings…

How do we risk

assess for our

community spaces?

‘Considered’ communications

BAME partner reassurance

‘As trusted partners in Bolton,

we wanted to take this opportunity

to write to you about how we can all

work together and get through this

unprecedented situation stronger,

together.’

Joint messages developed and shared

socially and on partner WhatsApp

groups, including content on:

Being Stronger, together

Rumours in the community

(dispelling myths and untruths)

Thanking the community

for their efforts to date

‘Considered’ communications

BAME health information

Series of online

video content

and printed

news pieces

Series of ‘here

for you’ videos

subtitled and

transcribed.

Radio script, including

key messages,

produced for

translation by

key partners.

Translated

banner stands

for areas of

high footfall

** Video content **

for face coverings

in development

Understanding the enormity of risk associated with Covid-19 and our BAME community,

key partners in Bolton have come together to form an alliance.

Forming an alliance ensures that work untaken is now given a much bigger platform.

Considered communications:

BAMER

The newly formed BAMER ALLIACE is a collective of public, voluntary and community organisations

that have an interest in engaging with Bolton’s BAME population.

The Alliance recognises that BAMER communities with high rates of deprivation in Bolton faced

already evident, significant inequalities before the pandemic. The BAMER Alliance is working to:

BAMER Alliance

The Power of Partnerships

The newly formed BAMER ALLIACE is a collective of public, voluntary and community organisations

that have an interest in engaging with Bolton’s BAME population.

The Alliance recognises that BAMER communities with high rates of deprivation in Bolton faced

already evident, significant inequalities before the pandemic. The BAMER Alliance is working to:

BAMER Alliance

The Power of Partnerships

Share

communications

& key messages

Pool local

resources and

budgets

Develop key

learnings

Develop a deep

understanding to

respond to need

Through existing work, specialisms and expertise across the partnership the alliance will feed

intelligence in and coordinate a strategic response collectively.

Bolton at home – Engage with thousands of tenants locally. Including the management of resident

community asset navigators (community champions) and UCAN Centres.

Bolton CVS – Hold positive relationships with many volunteers across local community and charity

organisations including the CCG’s Equality Target Action Group (protected characteristic group).

Bolton Council/Public Health– Direct link with council public health team and council leadership.

Large humanitarian response across the town with relationships to feed into the work and channels of

reach.

NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group – Many positive BAMER relationships already

established across Bolton which inform and respond to population need.

BAMER Alliance

The Power of Partnerships

Sourcing message champions

Key members of our BAME community and other community leadership have been identified to

disseminate key messages to their networks as ‘Message Champions’.

Community Webinars

A space for community discussion, including a panel of Public Health, NHS Bolton, Bolton CVS and

Bolton Council representatives who are able to take questions and respond immediately.

COVID Video content – Series of Explainer Videos created and disseminated.

Whilst still in it’s infancy, the BAMER Alliance

will strive to build on collective efforts to date

and to strategically respond on a much larger scale.

BAMER Alliance

Key outputs to date