Bay Medical Group are a 5-site GP practice covering the Morecambe area and operating as their own super PCN. Representing approximately 55,000 registered patients, they employ a diverse clinical team of around 230 staff including GPs, Physician Associates, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, knowledgeable Nursing Teams, a Mental Health team treating adults and children, Dietitians, First contact physios, Social Prescribers and Health Coaches. They offer same day and routine appointments as well as signposting to community partners and other local NHS services including community pharmacists.
A Blueprint for Social Media in General Practice
Bay Medical Group, Morecambe
Challenges
The Practice was struggling to communicate effectively with patients as traditional methods of communication were costly and outdated and only targeted certain patient groups. Perceptions around the challenges of accessing healthcare locally were largely negative, with current, localised information difficult for patients to come by.
Their health campaigns, despite the investment into them, were having limited reach and patient feedback was only coming in from a fairly limited cohort of patients.
Inputs
Patient Engagement Manager Chris Greenwood started the Group off on their social media journey back in 2018, as he felt it was vital to keeping patients informed about the Practice and its’ services, for clear signposting that was easy to access online, and any seasonal or self-care advice and information. Cath McLennan was brought in to work on this in June 2018, and it was suggested that she get in touch with Redmoor Health to ask for any advice.
Chris and Cath initially met with Marc Schmid in September 2018 and were able to use the advice they received from that initial meeting to start to build their social media presence. Since then, they also have had help from other members of the Redmoor team including Cameron, Liam, Lisa, Sophie, Richard and Natalie and ‘have never looked back’.
The Practice set up a social media presence across platforms (e.g. Facebook, X and Instagram) to maximise reach, and employed a dedicated individual to undertake continuous monitoring and management. They also kept staff informed of their social media journey and trained them on managing platforms confidently, professionally and within ethical guidelines so that tasks can be shared across the workforce if and when required.
To ensure that information was engaging, appropriate and current, the Practice prepared content ready to be published or shared, such as local or national health campaigns, and information from the NHS Calendar of Events. They then ensured to reach out and connect with their existing embedded partnership organisations to cross share information online and avoid duplication.
Feedback was regularly offered to, and welcomed from, staff and patients on outcomes from social media engagement.
Outcomes
The Practice expected the ROI on this work to be qualitative; mainly improved local health outcomes, better patient access and signposting, and better uptake of available services- reducing pressure on service pressure points. By encouraging the use of digital platforms and reducing reliance on expensive paper-based communications, the Practice is also delivering on its’ sustainability principles for a greener NHS.
In the short time since they started their social media journey, the Practice now has over 5,800 followers on Facebook, over 200 followers on Instagram and over 560 followers on X. They regularly reach over 100,000 impressions a month on Facebook alone and their post engagement rate is 3.81% – considerably higher than the average engagement rate for posts by Healthcare providers on Facebook, which is 1.32%.
Below are the reported impacts from three of their most successful campaigns.
Cervical Screening Post
One of the Practice’s early posts, delivered with the support of Redmoor Health, was their Cervical Screening campaign, which reached over 1 million people. It prompted a dialogue online and secured new followers to the page, but most importantly it demonstrated to the Practice that their Call-to-Action worked. This alongside a variety of initiatives has helped support an increase in cervical screening in the practice. Continued awareness raising of smear testing over time supported by social media campaigns has helped increase the numbers of under 50’s patients receiving a smear test from 72% to 89%, making for better patient care and increasing practice income.
IT Help
Many individuals find it difficult to navigate and access digital health resources, which is why Bay Medical Group also support their patients by offering IT clinics and Digital Champion support. By posting about their IT clinic and the offer of help, the Practice is demonstrating its’ understanding of these challenges and proactively providing assistance, ensuring all patients can access the care they need online, conveniently and more easily.
This empowers patients to take advantage of digital tools like the NHS App which the Practice also regularly posts about. The impact of this is evident in their NHS App usage stats, which are above the national average and continue to rise daily.
Patient Story
With consent, the Practice shared an inspirational journey of one of their patients, Hazel*, who embarked on a mission to prioritise her health and wellbeing. With sheer perseverance and a change of mindset, she successfully managed to lose excess weight, and discovered a new zest for life and a passion for running.
Hazel`s journey is a testament to Bay Medical Group’s overall strategy and goal to increase health and wellbeing. By sharing stories of patients’ experiences, which showcase NHS services and promote community health initiatives, the Practice can leverage public awareness leading to better health outcomes. It was reported that following the Practice sharing this post, new enquiries came in to the Community Groups involved.
Testimonial
“I want to mention, we would not be in this strong position and completing this blueprint without the help of Redmoor Health. None of this would be possible without their continued help.” – Cath McLennan, Bay Medical Group.
Further Information
You can find more information on our Social Media Managed Service here, or speak to one of our friendly team by emailing hello@redmoorhealth.co.uk
Whether it is by training and helping you use and embed technology, showcasing the great work you are doing, or helping you learn from experiences we have been part of elsewhere. Contact us to see how we can transform your digital practice.
