Campaign toolkits

As the UK weather can be unpredictable, we need to be ready for extreme weather – including a heatwave. While warm weather and sunshine may be welcome for many of us, we need to raise awareness that some groups of people may be more at risk during extreme heat and encourage people to look out for those groups. We all need to keep well and stay safe as much as we can. 

Key messages:

• Keep in touch: look after yourself and those more at risk – the elderly and the young; listen to the weather forecast and the news; plan ahead to avoid the heat 
• Keep well: drink plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol, dress appropriately for the weather; slow down when it is hot 
• Find somewhere cool: know how to keep your home cool; go indoors or outdoors – whichever feels cooler; cars get hot – avoid closed spaces
• Stay safe in the sun: be on the lookout for heat related illness; stay sun safe – wear sunscreen and help to reduce your chances of skin cancer, be barbeque safe; look after any bugs and bites; hay fever advice.

Be aware of other possible knock-on effects: for example travel disruption, power cuts and water safety if cooling down by swimming in open waters.

Hot weather toolkit

Get The Care You Need Quicker aims to help raise awareness of the available services across mid and south Essex that make it easier for people to get the care they need more quickly. 

The campaign toolkit provides further information about the campaign as well as template wording you can use on websites, in internal and external newsletters and also on social media.

Get The Care You Need Quicker communications toolkit

General practice is changing. You may not always need to see a GP to get the care you need.

Since 2019, hundreds of new health professionals have joined GP surgeries across mid and south Essex through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS). These include roles such as clinical pharmacists, physiotherapists, paramedics, social prescribing link workers and care coordinators – all working alongside GPs and nurses to support your care.

Many patients still expect to see a GP first, but that may not always be the most suitable option. That’s why general practice teams now help guide you to the right professional for your needs.

To support this, we’ve created a communications toolkit with posters, social media posts, and other resources to help explain the different roles available and how they support your health and wellbeing.

Each GP surgery and Primary Care Network (PCN) has a slightly different team, so this campaign gives local practices the tools to tell patients:

• who’s available in their area
• how they can help
• how to access them
• why seeing the right person matters

This local campaign will be supported by wider communications across Mid and South Essex ICS channels.

ARRS campaign toolkit

Raising awareness of pain medication dependency
Campaign: Painkillers Don’t Exist

Mid and South Essex ICB is asking for your support to help raise awareness of the risks of strong painkiller use and encourage safer, alternative ways to manage long-term pain.

More than 22,000 people in mid and south Essex are prescribed strong opioids for chronic pain. Of these, over 1,200 people are on high doses – the equivalent of taking 120mg or more of morphine each day. Yet only 1 in 4 people report meaningful pain relief from these medicines.

Painkillers Don’t Exist is a proven campaign aimed at:

• Raising awareness of the risks of opioid dependency
• Reducing the number of opioid prescriptions
• Promoting alternative ways to manage persistent pain

The campaign was first launched in 2019 in Sunderland and County Durham, where it contributed to a significant drop in opioid prescribing – by 34% and 19% respectively.

Campaign objectives

Short-term:
Help people understand the risks of strong painkillers and raise awareness of other ways to manage ongoing pain.

Medium-term:
Encourage patients who’ve been on opioid medication for more than 3 months to book a review with their GP to talk about safer options.

Long-term:
Reduce the number of people taking high doses of opioids for long periods and help prevent harm linked to dependency.

Painkiller’s Don’t Exist toolkit

This communications toolkit has been developed to support the promotion of mental health and wellbeing services across mid and south Essex. It is designed for use by NHS colleagues, local authorities, VCSE partners, primary care networks, and wider community organisations. 

Many people experience common mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, stress, or trauma, yet may not always know where to turn for support. Our aim is to increase awareness of free, local services that offer evidence-based help – and to make it easier for people to take that first step. 

This toolkit covers:

• Talking Therapies (previously known as IAPT)
• MSE Recovery College
• Urgent mental health support via NHS 111
• Mental health email subscription

Mental Health communications toolkit

#TalkSuicide is a suicide prevention campaign for Essex. Over 6,000 people died by suicide in 2023 in the UK. No single organisation can tackle this alone, so the NHS, local councils and other health and care organisations across mid and south Essex are all behind this campaign. We want to reduce the stigma around talking about suicide and raise awareness of suicide prevention training.

LGBT focus

This partner toolkit helps communications and engagement teams raise awareness of the Let’s Talk About Suicide training, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ mental health. It contains suggested social media content, internal communications copy, recommended alt text for graphics, and blog/intranet post suggestions. The aim is to promote inclusive, life-saving conversations about suicide prevention.

Let’s Talk Suicide LGBT toolkit

The Invincible Feeling, Invisible Danger campaign highlights the importance of regular blood pressure checks in detecting hypertension early. In mid and south Essex, an estimated 88,000 people are living with undiagnosed high blood pressure, making this a significant public health priority.

This partnership campaign supports a regional and national focus on lowering the risk and prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD).It will be delivered by the NHS and public health teams in mid and south Essex and, promotes accessible blood pressure checks through local pharmacies and encourages proactive health management via BP@Home. Currently, 175 out of 196 community pharmacies in the region offer free blood pressure checks for people aged 40 or over. You can find a participating pharmacy here: NHS Pharmacy Finder.

BP@Home, run by NHS Mid and South Essex, supports patients with hypertension by enabling them to monitor their blood pressure at home. Those enrolled in the scheme track their readings as advised by a healthcare professional and share their results with their GP team to ensure timely medical support.

Invincible Feeling Invisible Danger toolkit

In 2023, across mid and south Essex, there were 9,888 emergency admissions to local hospitals due to falls – a 7% increase compared to 2022. Of these, 85% occurred in people aged over 65, with 63% in those over 75.

Falls can not only cause serious injury but can also significantly affect confidence, leading to distress or embarrassment. In some cases, they can severely impact a person’s independence.

The good news is that there are many simple steps people can take to reduce their risk and stay steady on their feet. Our new guide, Fall Proof, offers valuable advice. This 12-page pamphlet includes a checklist of actions to reduce the risk of falling, with sections on trip hazards, hydration, balance, blood pressure, eyesight, and exercise. A digitally accessible version of the guide is also available.

Residents can also visit Active Essex for information on simple home movements that can help maintain strength and balance.

The communications toolkit that we have produced contains everything local partners need to support our falls prevention campaign.

Note: Although this has been linked to our winter campaign, the toolkit is designed to be used year-round as part of an ongoing approach.

Our ABCD of Cancer campaign aims to remind residents in mid and south Essex about the importance of being aware of any unexplained changes to their bodies, or signs and symptoms that are unusual for them. While the odds are that these changes are not indicative of cancer or another serious condition, it’s crucial to consult your GP for an evaluation.

The campaign focuses on the following types of cancer: breast, bowel, bladder, kidney, gynaecological (including cervical and ovarian), lung, skin, prostate, and testicular.

ABCD Cancer campaign toolkit

Local data shows that on average more than one boy or young man loses a testicle each month in mid and south Essex because they don’t get to the Emergency Department quickly enough when they develop testicular torsion. This condition requires immediate medical attention, and with proper awareness, these surgeries could be prevented.

We’re asking system partners and local authority teams to share our awareness posters with council-owned leisure facilities and community and youth centres for display in boys’/men’s toilets. These locations are crucial touch points for reaching our target audience.

We also ask that you share our social media messaging across your organisation’s social channels. We’ve created tailored content for different platforms to reach both young people and parents/carers.

Additional ways you can support this campaign:

1. Share our blog link on your organisation’s social media channels and websites
2. Include information in your newsletters or internal communications
3. Display posters in your facilities where appropriate
4. Circulate this information to any relevant teams within your organisation

This campaign has been developed with Dr James Hickling, Deputy System Medical Director

Testicular Torsion Toolkit

Poor oral health can have a significant impact on children and young people’s well-being and development, which unfortunately can be seen in some groups more than other due to health inequalities. As a result, children’s oral health is one of the clinical priority areas that is highlighted within the children and young people CORE20PLUS5 framework.  

In mid and south Essex, we have areas of high need that are experiencing poorer dental health outcomes. This is because we have:  

• areas of high decay amongst children, 
• high number of children awaiting tooth extractions due to decay for children admitted as inpatients in hospital, aged 10 years and under,
• long waiting lists to get into a dental practice.

How you can help: Please support the promotion of children’s oral health by sharing the materials included in our toolkit through your communication channels. You can also forward the toolkit on to your own contacts including those in the community and voluntary sector. Please repost any social media posts from NHS Mid and South Essex to your own followers to help extend the reach of key messages.

Children’s Oral Health toolkit

Helping parents and carers care with confidence

The Super Bodies campaign supports parents and carers in managing common childhood illnesses at home, while helping to reduce the use of antibiotics when they’re not needed.

This campaign is currently being run in Southend, where antibiotic prescribing rates for children are among the highest in England. The aim is to address this trend by improving understanding and confidence around treating common illnesses safely at home.

Campaign aims:

• Reduce the overuse of antibiotics for common illnesses like coughs, earache, and sore throats
• Help parents and carers understand when and how to care for these conditions at home
• Support parents in spotting the signs of more serious illness and knowing when to seek medical help
• Signpost families to the right NHS service for their child’s symptoms

About this toolkit

This communications toolkit provides campaign resources to help promote the Super Bodies campaign through local networks.

It includes:

• Key messages and information for parents and carers
• Digital, written and printable materials for use in practices, schools, websites, newsletters and social media
• Signposting tools to help parents make informed decisions and use the right NHS services

These resources are designed for NHS staff, local authorities, community groups, and other partners working with families of young children in Southend.

Super Bodies campaign toolkit

Patients Know Best (PKB) is a secure, patient-held digital record system. It is being used by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) and Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) to help patients view parts of their hospital health record and engage with some outpatient services online.

Find out more about PKB on the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust website.

Find out more about PKB on the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust website.

PKB has recently introduced new functionality that allows patients to connect their online GP record with their PKB account, bringing hospital and GP information together in one place.

Read more about how to link your GP record to your PKB account

To provide better, more joined-up care, it’s important that health and social care professionals have access to the most up-to-date information about you. This helps improve your experience and supports professionals to make the best decisions for your care.

My Care Record is an agreement used across much of the East of England. It allows organisations involved in your care to securely share information when they need to. This means you won’t need to repeat your story and helps services work together more smoothly.

Sharing information in this way is allowed by law under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when it’s needed to provide care. My Care Record makes sure this is done safely, legally, and responsibly.

As we prepare to launch the new Mid and South Essex Shared Care Record, we want to be clear about how your information is shared. We follow a ‘fair processing’ approach – which means we explain how and why your information is used, and who may see it, to support your care.

You can find more information at mycarerecord.org.uk.

My Care Record campaign toolkit

We have launched an important survey to understand attitudes towards adult vaccinations across Essex, and we need your help to reach as many people as possible.

Why this matters: Essex has historically lower vaccination rates than other areas in the East of England, with particular hesitancy across Southend and Thurrock. This survey will help us understand the barriers people face and the factors that influence their vaccination decisions, allowing us to improve access and address concerns.

The survey has been developed in collaboration with public health teams at Essex County Council, Southend-on-Sea City Council, and the regional NHS public health team, ensuring a coordinated approach to this important work.

The survey is anonymous, takes around 5-10 minutes to complete, and covers COVID-19 boosters, flu, pneumococcal, RSV, and shingles vaccines. Alongside this survey, our Insight and Involvement team will also be conducting face-to-face qualitative research with community and faith groups.

How you can help: As a partner organisation, your connection with local communities is invaluable. We’re asking you to help promote this survey through your channels, networks and direct contacts. We’ve created a comprehensive communications toolkit to make this as easy as possible for you, containing:

Guidance on how to handle anti-vaccine comments on social media

• Key messages
• Social media content for various platforms
• Newsletter and website copy
• Email templates
• SMS text messages
• Tips for engaging different communities
• FAQs and background information

Attitudes to vaccination survey toolkit

A campaign to encourage eligible individuals to receive the free pneumococcal vaccination. As part of the CORE20Plus5 framework, which aims to reduce health inequalities, there is a particular focus on individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and driving uptake of various vaccines, including pneumococcal, to reduce hospital admissions.

The partner toolkit provides further information about the campaign as well as template wording you can use on websites, in internal and external newsletters and also on social media. You will also find posters which can be displayed in community settings and flyers that can be printed or sent to individuals digitally.

Pneumococcal vaccination toolkit