Every element of the public sector had to respond dramatically to the COVID-19 pandemic – but undoubtedly, the NHS and wider Healthcare sector felt the brunt of the impact.
The most immediate element of responding to COVID-19 has of course been providing healthcare – but this cannot be separated from thinking about communications with patients, other service users and the general public. Communication has been an essential part of the COVID-19 response, from public health campaigns to how patients contacting their local GP surgery are most effectively triaged and treated.
The most important factor in discussing Healthcare communications since the beginning of 2020 is the sheer increase in the volume of contacts from the public to primary care. This in itself has shaped how communication with patients works, for example in the rapid rise of digital triage. The use of digital technology is another important factor, with lockdown restrictions prompting a much quicker, and more widespread, rollout of video consultations.
The ways in which citizens’ interactions with the public sector have changed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how public sector organisations have changed in their responses, are the key focus of the ‘Experience as a Service’ survey 2021, produced by GovNewsDirect in partnership with Genesys. In this supplement to the ‘Experience as a Service’ survey 2021 report, we examine the survey responses specifically from workers in Healthcare, and examine the key issues the findings highlight for those working in Healthcare.
