Social And Commercial Marketing In The Uk Health Sector

Introduction				Improve Patient Care
The organisation that will be discussed is the				Improve Life expectancy
National Health Services (NHS). Adrian (2002)				Drive to service
explains that it is a public organisation that				Improve our service
provides its services in Wales, Ireland, Britain and				Achieve behavioural change
Scotland. NHS was formed with the main aim of				Stroke
bringing healthcare services closer to people.				“Brain Attack”
Before its formation, health care services were				Ambulance
quite disorganised. Most people had to pay for				4%
services when they were receiving treatment.				Improve Patient Care
This problem has now been solved as patients are				Improve Life expectancy
able to access health care even before they fall ill.				Improve our service
The organisation is funded by trusts that finance				Unplanned Care Local
health care providers who are then able to				Doncaster
purchase health services from suppliers such as				4%
ambulance services, testing centres and care for				Improve Patient Care
the elderly. The NHS is driven by three main goals				Improve our service
that is, to focus on the improvement of				Achieve behavioural change
treatment, prevention and diagnosis of health				Unplanned Care Regional
services.				Kirkless for
Commercial and social marketing are both issues				West Yorks
that have received a lot of attention from the				8%
organisation. Although the NHS is a public				Improve Patient Care
organisation, it still needs to be able to carry out				Improve service
its services in an efficient manner. This				Achieve behavioural change
necessitates the need to apply commercial				Making Leeds Better
marketing concepts in its operations. Social				Leeds
marketing will come in because the organisation				2%
deals with the public and is concerned about its				Improve Patient Care
well being. The definitions, applications and				Improve service
evaluations of the latter marketing concepts will				MRSA
be examined in detail below;				Leeds/Bradford et al
Definitions of commercial and social marketing				17%
McGahan (2004) defines commercial marketing as				Improve Patient Care
the identification of customer needs and provision				Achieve behavioural change
of those needs such that one can achieve their				Current unallocated Projects
own objectives. Most of the time, these				N/A
objectives are tied to financial gains. Any business				17%
can be divided into two aspects. The first one is				Data Provision/
creation of new and better ways to deliver and				Roll-out programme
produce goods and services; what experts call				SHA/YPHO
innovation. The second one is selling the goods				16%
and services produced; what is called commercial				N/A
marketing. The moment a business adequately				Source: Milner, K. (2007): Update on the Yorkshire
caters for both these aspects, then they will be				and Humble social marketing project, R Yorkshire
well on their way to succeeding. Commercial				and the Humber Social Marketing Project.doc
marketing is applied in any organisation that was				accessed on 2/15/08
formed with the specific aim of making profit.				Commercial marketing in NHS
Kotler et al (2002) defines social marketing as				Public organisations might operate under the
application of commercial marketing concepts in				assumption that their clients will come to them for
order to achieve a social good or a change in				services whether or not they prioritize marketing,
behaviour. They claim that one can interpret social				however, the NHS does not adhere to this belief,
marketing as a way in which organisations and				it realises that patient and other health care
businesses are able to achieve non commercial				consumers are increasingly informed. With the
goals through the use of commercial methods.				advent of the internet, people are now able to
However, they are quick to add that this is only				access a lot of information about the operation,
one aspect. Social marketing encompasses two				management and services provided by public
areas, that is, the social sciences field and the				organisations. It is therefore essential to make
marketing field. In light of these definitions, one				commercial marketing a priority within any
must be quick to identify the fact that				organisation such that all stakeholders involved
commercial marketing is centred on marketing				with the organisation may achieve their full
approaches while social marketing is centred on				potential.
Social policy. The phenomenon of social marketing				Further more, the NHS has realised that there is
has been applied in the past. For example in the				increasing competition in the health department
year 1980, there was an anti-tobacco campaign				especially in private service provision. Health
conducted in Australia by a council called Victoria				organisations have stopped being complacent and
Cancer. Eight years later, there was another				they have reinforced the belief in aggressive
campaign called the ‘Sun Smart’ which				marketing for success. The NHS has seen that
was basically campaign against skin cancer. Many				effective commercial marketing is not a one way
countries have accepted social marketing as				street. It involves mutual exchange between the
useful part of their day to day running and have				organisation and members of the public. Most
therefore merged theory and practice. The US,				people may assume that commercial marketing is
Canada, UK, New Zealand and Australia are just				simply looking to catchy phrases to appeal
some of the many countries using this concept in				customers. Contrary to this commercial marketing
their day to day running.				occurs when there is a deep understanding of the
The UK Department of Health (2004) asserts				customer’s needs and the timely and
that they have been the frontrunners in the				adequate responses to that need.
application of social marketing. One example				There are several areas that must receive special
occurred in the year 2004 when there was a				emphasis when looking at the marketing concepts
government white paper called ‘Choosing				applied within the NHS. The first is market
health’ other government initiatives in the				segmentation. Different services provided by the
region include ‘Health Challenge England’				organisation require different consumers hence
and ‘It’s our health’				the formation of marketing segments. The NHS
Kotler (1971) is quick to remind us that one must				has to deal with the Department of Health, it also
not confuse the concept of social marketing with				has to consider PCTS, there are also clinicians, to
bringing about a social good such that one can get				top this up voluntary and community groups also
more customers. Social marketing is restricted to				take part in some of Ness’s operations.
the fact that there will be no profits made at the				Perhaps the most important group are the
end of the endeavour. Many businesses have				patients. Some patients may come for surgeries
been doing lot of social marketing. But this is only				or various types of operations. It also has
part of building up their company image in order				portions that cater for the elderly. There are
to achieve an added advantage over other				some patients that require specialist services like
competitor. Such businesses are engaging in public				dental checks ups. There are some who may be
relations not social marketing.				coming for routine tests and x-rays. There are
Applications of social marketing in the NHS				also others who are in need of emergency
Triggle (2007) reports the speech made by Tony				services. It is crucial for the organisation to
Blair in which he goes back to the history of the				identify all these various customers such that it
UK. He claims that during the mid twentieth				can look for ways to satisfy their needs.
century, it was possible for the government to				Hunger & Wheelan (2003) elaborate that branding
tell people about the kind of food that they should				enables customers to identify wit a certain
give their children. It had placed omega three				Company and this is the motivation behind NHS
strategically in many hospitals and parents were				branding strategies. Because the health
required to take those free offers as a				department in the UK is a wide sector, there was
compulsory measure by the government. He is				a need to incorporate private service providers
quick to note that much has changed since those				into the managing and carrying out of services.
humble days. If the government were to use the				One marketing stagy that the organisation has
same approach today, their efforts would be				used to achieve this is through the
fruitless. This is because the UK has changed				‘co-branding’ concept. Here, private health
from a place that is dependent on the				service providers working under the NHS are able
government and its authority. Besides this, the				o access facilities, materials or information owned
former Prime Minister realises that there are				by the NHS. In response, these same providers
plenty of people in the UK who are living				are expected to uphold the same principles that
unhealthy lifestyles. There is a need to ask				have kept the NHS on top of the health service
ourselves why such people are engaging in				provision in the country. On such principle is giving
dangerous lifestyles. It is more important for the				free service at the [point of delivery no matter
public to have a country that creates conditions				what kind of income one receives.
conducive for healthy lifestyles rather than just				Grant (2005) says that organisations must engage
telling people what to do.				with the public, they must establish a connection
Adrian (2002) that this fact forms the basis				with then such that they may be able to
behind NHS social marketing strategies. The				exchange ideas and benefit one another. NHS has
organisation realises that are many diseases				incorporated this aspect of commercial marketing
caused by the lack of proper diets. This is				through conducting meetings with members of
especially in relation to the way many people in				the public where they ask them about aspects of
the UK just do not pay attention to the way				their services they would like improved. On top of
they live their lives. The NHS has been working on				this, they have also requested them to gibe
the issue of obesity. It is conducting research on				suggestions to nay member of NHS staff when
the possible causes of overeating or wrong eating.				they have a problem. The Company has worked
It is also implementing measures against this				with many disadvantaged or sidelined groups like
unhealthy practice. It has also dealt with the issue				the elderly, the disabled and those who are not
of stroke. It is trying to eliminate excessive				familiar with the English language. NHS has been
smoking through advocating for behavioural				known for its tactful dealings with the media. It
change. The organisation knows that there are				has treated them as a partner nod not a foe with
plenty of people in the UK who have made these				crucial information disseminated through various
unhealthy habits part of their lifestyles. He is trying				media outlets. On top of that, the organisation has
to come up with ways that will empower				also been able to engage the public through
members of the UK public to change adopt				increased transparency. Most of its information
different, healthier lifestyles. Shown below is an				and decisions are open to public scrutiny. The NHS
illustration of some of the behaviours that NHS is				has taken part n a number of charitable
trying to curb.source: Triggle, N. (2007): From				organisations like cancer treatment. It has also
Nanny State to a helping hand; August 15th, Page				given numerous supports towards medical
1, London: the BBC news				research especially because this is an area that fall
The NHS has created a number of project teams				under their jurisdiction. The NHS believes that
to incorporate the concept of social marketing				when it creates such a close relationship with its
more practically into their organisation. For				patients and other consumers, all parties become
example it has ` National Special				ware of their responsibilities. Patients know about
and Marketing Centre to come up with a strategy				all the procedures to be complete before they
that will allow them to implement social marketing				can belong to the NHS while the NHS can focus
into their operations. They claim that the purpose				on areas in its service provision that leave
of doing this will be to influence the lives of people				customers dissatisfied. Public relations as a
for the better. The organisation has come up with				marketing strategy for the NHS is responsible
project teams. On top of this it has arranged for				value addition within he organisation.
the certification of all social marketing projects by				Adrian (2002) illustrates that the NHS has also
the NSMC. The projects will be directed towards				incorporated crucial marketing tools in its affairs.
local benefits so that social marketing creates				First of all, it has engaged in marketing research in
tangible changes on ground. Besides this, the				order to find out what works and what does not.
Company’s project teams have come up				It has also participated in face to face
with some six strategies that will enable them live				engagements. Here, an NHS trust or any other
healthy lifestyles. The sic principles are;				organisation deal with specific customers and tells
- creation and quantification of objectives in social				them what health services are available for them.
marketing				The NHS has also distributed a number of
- determining groups that are at high risks				brochures that display information concerning the
- identifying what factors influence their lives;				organisation. This is closely linked to the internet.
what and how they live				In the age of information, people have realised
- identifying their motivations to adopt those				that they have to sell themselves through
lifestyles				company websites.
- determine strategies in social marketing that				Conclusion
have been successful in other parts of the				The NHS is a front runner in provision of social
country				marketing tools through the use of research and
The project team will implement these strategies				advocating. It intends on focuses on the reason
possible this year and will evaluate the outcome				behind certain aspects of unhealthy living, and then
of their proposals.				it compels the public to make behavioural changes.
The NHS has also done some practical work in				The NHS has also engaged in a number of
the sector of social marketing. Milner (2007)				commercial marketing strategies like
identifies certain areas that the organisation has				segmentation, branding and marketing
worked on up to today through this illustration				communication. The difference between the two
Issue				strategies is that the latter is done in order to
Lead PCT				gain some financial benefits while the former is
Approximate proportions				done to effect social change.
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SM Type of intervention				History and Archives of NHS Hospitals, UK:
CVD				Harvard Press
Rotherham				Grant, R.M. (2005): Marketing Analysis and
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Improve our service				Education Inc.
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End Health Inequality				Kotler, Philip and Eduardo L. Roberto (19971): Social
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8%				UK Department of Health(2004): Choosing Health:
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8%				Triggle, N.

Cmmc Uhs

Social And Commercial Marketing In The Uk Health Sector