Strategic Communications Planning for an NHS Foundation Trust Following Negative CQC Ratings

Challenge

An NHS Foundation Trust had suffered significant reputational damage following a series of inpatient safety incidents and a run of negative CQC ratings. The CEO engaged Alder to work alongside the Trust's legal team to develop a strategic framework for managing complex legal and regulatory matters, including CQC inspections, inquests and communications with affected families.

Solution

An early assessment revealed significant cross-departmental dysfunction in how patient safety incidents were being handled and how the Trust was communicating with grieving families. Alder implemented a structured and sustained programme of support, including:

- Adopting a 'families first' communications strategy to ensure bereaved families were treated with appropriate care and consistency
- Chairing weekly inter-departmental meetings to improve forward planning and embed crisis communications fundamentals across teams
- Developing bespoke communications plans for individual legal cases to ensure messaging was legally aligned and reputationally considered
- Providing strategic advice on stakeholder engagement around CQC matters

Outcome

- Measurable improvements in family liaison processes across the Trust
- Greater cross-departmental coordination on patient safety communications
- The Trust had clearer, more consistent frameworks in place for managing both regulatory scrutiny and individual legal cases