March 05, 2021
We are excited to announce, in partnership with NHS X, Valtech has won Gold in the ‘Best Digital Communication During COVID-19’ category at the Digital Impact Awards 2020 with the NHS COVID-19 Text Messaging Service.
In partnership with NHS X, Valtech delivered the NHS COVID-19 Text Messaging Service to support those self-isolating with COVID-19 symptoms. The award-winning service is simple in its ambition but complex in its multi-agency execution and provides powerful data to help drive both operational and clinical decisions.
The Digital Impact Awards’ ‘Best Digital Communication During COVID-19’ category recognises the challenges that companies have faced during the Coronavirus pandemic and acknowledges those organisations that have overcome the obstacles of the global pandemic and excelled in their use of digital communications to engage with their corporate audiences.
The judge's feedback:
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the NHS was left with the herculean task of responding to this century’s biggest health crisis. To ensure its vital, life-saving communications were delivered to people across the UK, NHS Digital teamed up with Valtech and NHS Business Services Authority, NHS 111 and NHS X to deliver the Covid-19 text messaging service in only 10 days.
The time pressure meant the service had to break convention with long-term feedback processes built into the public sector. It changed behaviours across the NHS in order to deliver a functioning, effective service. Not only was the time scale impressive, but so too was the scale of delivery. The NHS text messaging service has improved the health and safety of the UK public throughout the pandemic
The Digital Impact Awards sets the industry-wide benchmark in digital stakeholder engagement. The event honours the best corporate digital communications work in Europe.
Following over a decade of success in Europe, the Digital Impact Awards has rewarded the increasingly dynamic ways that digital corporate communications continue to grow. Digital communications is a necessity of any modern business and excellence in the strategic development of corporate digital communications has been celebrated by the Digital Impact Awards since 2010.
Click here to see the Digital Impact Awards Winners Book.
The winning service: Helping the NHS communicate with COVID-19 sufferers
NHS X partnered with Valtech to deliver the NHS COVID-19 Text Messaging Service to support those self-isolating with COVID-19 symptoms.
People staying at home suffering with suspected COVID-19 symptoms now get regular check-ins from a new NHS text messaging service.
Daily texts are sent by the NHS to new patients who register their Covid-19 symptoms and contact details with the 111 online service.
The messages check how people are and ensure that those who need help to get them through the isolation period receive it.
The text messages are sent as a reassurance to those who contact NHS 111 online, complete the assessment, and leave basic information such as their age, mobile number and when their symptoms started.
In just 10 days, Valtech worked tirelessly with NHS Digital, NHS Business Services Authority, NHS 111 and NHS X to develop and stand up the NHS COVID-19 text messaging service. This service is simple in its ambition but complex in its multi-agency execution, and provides powerful data to help drive both operational and clinical decisions. Tens of thousands of people have already signed up for updates.
The Result
The service provides both clinical and operational benefits. Clinically, it serves two key roles:
Firstly, it acts at a population level to nudge daily those who have self-diagnosed to remain self-isolated and reduce the spread of the infection.
Secondly, the service steers people towards the appropriate urgent and emergency care they need while keeping those who don’t need urgent care reassured but away from front line services.
Striking this balance is key to efficient use of the NHS’s frontline, and the more efficient this use can be, the more lives will be saved.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:
I know all too well that experiencing symptoms can be worrying, but for those living on their own it will be even more so. Alongside other measures, this new daily text service will reassure our most vulnerable that they are not alone, and also to help them manage their symptoms.
Technology, combined with our heroic staff on the frontline, have played a huge role in battling this virus and I encourage everyone to use this new service.
