Hospital trust's IT staff hit nation's TV screens in new NHS recruitment ad
It is a continuation of the “We are the NHS” campaign which launched last year as part of the organisation's 70th anniversary.
The 60 and 30-second ads, which are designed to highlight the work of IT and other support staff, will be supported by social media and radio campaigns led by NHS England.
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) is one of 16 national centres of excellence – known as global digital exemplars – selected by the Department of Health and Social Care to develop and share digital innovations.
The four-year programme, which was launched in 2016, will see the trust receive a total of £10 million to lead technology projects to improve safety, quality and efficiency that could go on to be rolled out nationwide.
Among the developments introduced at UHS so far are an app in critical care – digiRounds – which allows mobile device users to access key clinical information on smartphones and tablets, interactive whiteboards, electronic blood tracking and Medxnote, a WhatsApp-style messaging app.
As well as featuring shots of technology in use on wards, in theatres and in offices across Southampton General Hospital, viewers see the familiar sight of an air ambulance approaching the helipad. Filming also took place at hospitals in Canterbury and Ashford.
“We are delighted to be able to showcase some of our staff and developments across the trust in this recruitment campaign for IT and support workers across the NHS,” said Jo Watts, global digital exemplar programme manager at UHS.
“It is a privilege to be able to share the many diverse roles within the NHS – and within informatics itself – to people nationwide and we look forward to seeing some familiar faces on our screens over the comings weeks.”
Ad director Simon Ratigan told website Campaign: “When I started on this project, I thought that those working in IT and support were somehow separate to the rest of the NHS and, in truth, less important than the clinicians.
“But it’s now clear that what they do is just as crucial and although their jobs are very different to the clinical staff, they share the same purpose. It’s what makes working in IT or support for the NHS so different to working for a corporation – they’re saving lives.”