The NSMC to deliver free resources for the health service in 2011
The NSMC has been delivering a capacity-building work programme for the Department of Health and NHS since 2006, to help realise the potential of social marketing. A number of key projects are due to come to fruition next year.
Free training and resources for the NHS
Between November 2008 and January 2009, The NSMC undertook a comprehensive review of social marketing in regional public health settings. In-depth interviews with a range of NHS staff from each of the ten strategic health authorities revealed a strong desire for training and support. The NSMC developed and delivered a programme of free training for the NHS in response. By March 2010, over 160 courses had been delivered to more than 3,000 delegates.
There is still work to be done in bringing social marketing know-how to the NHS, but budget restraints make face-to-face sessions impossible for many. This is why we are developing a suite of online training modules and an e-learning environment. Access will be free to the NHS when it is launched in 2011, enabling professionals from across the country to get the skills they need without the expense of travel and accommodation.
ShowCase
The NSMC is continuing to promote and share social marketing best practice through ShowCase. Our research team have been busy making the growing database more user-friendly. Users will soon be able to follow project teams' journeys through the social marketing process and find detailed 'how to' information. There will also be a greater emphasis on challenges faced and lessons learned along the way. Selected case studies will be brought to life through engaging video clips featuring individuals closely involved in the projects.
'One stop shop' for research
We're developing an online portal to help the NHS and public sector to save money through sharing unpublished research. It will house a wide range of research reports that have been commissioned through the Department of Health or the NHS but tend not to be published, and make them available to a wider audience. The aim is to make this type of 'grey literature' easier to access for its users, who will be able to explore research on customer knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviour.
Access to this broader range will make it easier to learn from other studies of the same population or topic area, reducing wasteful duplication. It will also help to maintain corporate memory of research generated. The One Stop Shop will be freely available to those with NHS and government email addresses. Special permission can also be granted for particular projects to allow non-public sector organisations to access it.
Value for money
The NSMC, supported by a grant from the Department of Health, is leading a review to develop consensus on how to evaluate the value for money of interventions aimed at supporting behaviour change for health. We will also be developing an online tool which will help practitioners evaluate the value for money of their individual projects. The tool and all documentation from the review will be available, free of charge, for those working in the public sector.