NHS / HEALTHCARE

Worked as a policy/research officer in the UK's leading healthcare think tank.

* Consulting membership on new policy developments in the NHS via medium and large scale research projects
* Parliamentary monitoring + reporting
* Publications included: Safe & Sound Ã’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½ Security in NHS Maternity Units, Team Building in the NHS pamphlet, Joint Working between Health & Social Services, etc.

PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETING:

Working for award winning PR companies (UK and global) as well as managed entry consultancy my experience is prolific.

* New business research and strategic programme development for PR pitches including: NHS trust healthcare acquired infections training, Department of Health prostate awareness campaign, ophthalmology education, cord blood bank service, migraine, ultrasound imaging, cholesterol management and treatment of inflammatory arthritis & ChronÃ’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½s Disease with a new generation of medicines.
* Conducted focus group research for the DoH prior to introduction of PCTs.
* Female healthcare issues analysis Ã’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½ the client had incurred hostile coverage from an influential evidence based medicine publication and needed to clarify how to handle the situation long term. The project included extensive in-house research with all senior members of the clientÃ’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½s team to centre their approach before acting. Feedback was that the research Ã’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½took the emotion out of the situationÃ’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½ and provided a rock solid foundation to clarify next steps.
* Producing comprehensive issues management kit in advance of the announcement of the UKÃ’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½s first over the counter statin. The kit had to cover both Ã’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½YesÃ’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½ and Ã’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½NoÃ’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½ options and address the communications needs of all stakeholders: the media, staff, corporate clients, healthcare professionals and patients. The kit covered press materials, Q&As and Ã’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½lines to takeÃ’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½ for all anticipated avenues of interrogation.
* NICE strategy in anticipation of launch of guidance on treatments for Hepatitis C including facilitating clientÃ’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½s in-house strategy planning meetings and under-pinning third party and media relations.
* European Influencer Map Ã’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½ extensive research and mapping exercise plotting the avenues of influence in the radiotherapy market at a European level. Included comprehensive outline of the European Union Health Commission, pan-European professional and patient groups and key events and publications with potential to influence at a pan-European level.
* Co-ordinating and recruiting a series of regional PCT focus groups to support a nutrition companyÃ’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½s long term NHS strategy including facilitating meetings, analysing results and co-facilitating clientÃ’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½s in-house strategy meeting
* Participating in large scale research and situational analysis of the NHS market in cardio-vascular care focussing on the impact of the Coronary Heart Disease National Service Framework and changes in generic supply.
* Research and strategic analysis in communications programmes for NHS health action zones and primary care communications divisions.
* Service impact audit analysing the impact on primary care workload of a newly launched smoking cessation product.
* Research into the depression market to support generic defence strategy for a leading branded SSRI.
* Implementing development of a range of purchaser materials to support a rationale for the uptake of a high cost/low volume treatment in asthma management.
* Development of a decision influencer database mapping the key organisations influencing prescriber choice in the NHS.
* Copywriting core communications kit for all international offices in support of major launch of new HIV/AIDS therapy. Key brief was to make the kit more approachable with the use of graphics to ensure by-in from marketers internationally who often lack specialist PR skills and/or agency support and who in addition would not have English as their first language.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

* Copywriter and account director for PR company specialising in corporate social responsibility and working mainly with small-to-medium sized enterprises (via DTIÃ’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½s BusinessLink) and the voluntary sector including:

* Innovative educational company using computer aided learning and internet technologies to support education of children absent from school due to long term health problems. Included producing press materials and sell-in for a range of new product launches. Resulted in the leading publication in this sector (Government IT) reproducing the launch press release I wrote as an editorial in full.
* Moonwalk Ã’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½ press relations sponsored by our client: a corporate social responsibility initiative to recruit volunteers to support the Playtex Moonwalk Ã’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½ a high profile fundraising event in support of breast cancer research.
* Revealing Pathways for Potential Ã’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½ a one-day conference to covered by the Times Educational Supplement to address the issue of under achieving Afro-Caribbean young men in secondary education.

OTHER

* Writing all press materials for on-going marketing for the Kleenex range of Ã’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½atichooÃ’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½ tissues Ã’¢ï’¿’½ï’¿’½ materials achieved previously unparalleled uptake in national and particularly in regional press.
* Mediation letter - writing a mediation letter for A PR agency which was in dispute with a former client. Set out the course of events using the original contract as a structure - resulting in the former client conceding that they had to pay the agency's fees.