CIM calls for NHS and DoH marketing director posts
The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) is calling on the Government to adopt a marketing-led approach for the National Health Service (NHS).
The independent trade body has worked with marketers from across the NHS to produce a white paper, which looks at what marketing can deliver for the NHS, its customers and its stakeholders. The white paper, entitled: The real NHS; the benefits of a marketing approach, will be launched on May 22.
CIM says there is confusion as to what marketing entails in the health service, as clinicians struggle with what they see as "marketing jargon". It calls for a senior marketing position to be created in both the Department of Health (DoH) and the NHS itself: "Interestingly, neither role currently exists," it adds.
CIM's report says it also important for the board, the chief executive and non-executive directors to be receptive to marketing, as "this attitude is not consistent across the health service".
However, it adds: "Creating a marketing department in health trusts is not the only answer, because it does not in itself change the culture of the organisation or general buy-in from clinicians and managers, many of whom have little experience or understanding of what marketing is or does. The answer is to bring more marketing knowledge to all parts of the organisation and to communicate the benefits of the patient-led approach to managers and clinicians."
From April 1, under the NHS Promotion Code, the DoH announced patients were free to choose where to have routine elective surgery. NHS providers also became free to advertise their services without a cap on advertising spend. The code allows the NHS and GPs to self-regulate the way they advertise their services and all NHS advertising will fall under the remit of the Advertising Standards Authority.
The white paper has however not been produced in conjunction with the Department of Health.
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