The changing nature of healthcare communications

Thank you for your interest in our survey. We want to hear from in-house communications and marketing professionals working in healthcare and pharma, to understand how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed your role, pressures and priorities. The findings will be used as part of a report which will examine the role of communications and marketing as organisations continue to respond to the evolving demands of a post-pandemic world.

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* 1. Which of the following best describes your job role?

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* 2. What sector do you primarily work in?

Pharmaceuticals / life sciences

Consumer healthcare (excluding OTC medications)

Consumer healthcare (including OTC medications)

Medical devices

Healthcare charity / third sector

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* 3. Where are you based?

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* 4. How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted your department? Tick up to three answers.

Increased board level interaction

Increased the perceived value of comms / marketing within the company

Expanded the comms / marketing team’s remit e.g. managing social media monitoring

Increased focus on internal projects or priorities

Less time to proactively manage smaller issues

More time spent firefighting crises

Less time to spend on intelligence-gathering and insights

Our comms / marketing budget has been increased

We have hired additional people

Other (please specify)

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* 5. How has the Covid-19 pandemic changed your job? Tick all that apply.

I work longer hours

My workload has significantly increased

I feel close to burnout

I feel stressed more often

The atmosphere within the company is often strained or stressful

I have a better work / life balance

I enjoy most of the new challenges / opportunities

Friends and family are suddenly more interested in my job and company

People react more positively when I tell them what I do or who I work for

Other (please specify)

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* 6. Do you think the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way the general public views the health and pharma sectors? Tick one option.

Yes – overall now seen in a more positive light

Yes – overall now seen in a more negative light

No – opinion has not significantly changed because of the pandemic

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* 7. What are the the biggest challenges you face in your role as a result of the pandemic? Tick up to three answers.

Not enough time to spend on creative ideas or campaigns

Our work is mostly reactive when it should be proactive

Not enough resource / time to properly manage both internal and projects

Inconsistent public health messaging and / or inconsistent health advice from UK government

Finding time to upskill and make the most of new tools or channels

Adapting to a new media landscape

Demonstrating the value of comms / marketing to the business

Striking the right tone with our messaging

Other (please specify)

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* 8. How do you think the pandemic has impacted your relationship with your key stakeholders (e.g. consumers, patients)? Tick all that apply.

They expect us to be more transparent

It’s harder to provide the right level of health / science information (i.e. too little vs overwhelming them)

They want immediate access to our information and expertise

It’s harder to reach our stakeholders through our usual channels

They expect more from us / make more demands on us

I feel some or all of our stakeholders trust us more

They find it hard to understand why we can’t do ‘business as usual’ during a pandemic

There has been an increase in distrust and scepticism because of the growing prevalence of misinformation

Other (please specify)

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* 9. Thinking about how your company's internal engagement and communication styles changed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, which of the following statements do you agree with most? Tick all that apply.

We receive more internal communications, which I find helpful

We receive more internal communications, which I find overwhelming

We receive shorter but more regular internal updates

My company has experimented with new formats and channels for internal communications

Two-way dialogue with the leadership team has increased

Internal communications now include more external perspectives and expertise on topics such as wellbeing

There has been a greater focus on purpose-led internal communication (e.g. around issues such as diversity and community)

My company now has less time for internal communications

Internal communication and engagement styles have not changed

We receive less internal communications than before the pandemic

Other (please specify)