Telling the stories behind population data

How has your background shaped your work?

I did a joint social science degree in psychology and health, complemented by my background in sociology. My first role, right after university, was in frontline public health at the Health Protection Agency. I then had roles in various NHS bodies, hospitals and local government, including Worcestershire County Council and supporting the local response with the public health team during Covid.

My career has been heavily intelligence based, within public health, focusing on health communication and developing reports for diverse audiences.

Currently, I’m employed by public health but work in collaboration with the integrated care board (ICB) at a system level, bridging the space between NHS and local authorities. Few people straddle both spheres, so it’s a fascinating space to be in.

Being at the strategic level now means I can influence decisions on funding, programmes and interventions, ensuring initiatives are guided by core public health principles and are evidence based.

How does communication fit into your role?

Communication is central to my work. My role involves sharing data and insights to inform planning and strategy, guiding funding decisions while setting out possible solutions to complex societal issues.

Part of my role is about collaborating with others to highlight the key messages behind data, so we can provide relatable stories behind what the data says. This step is crucial because, in the rush of generating data, it’s all too easy to overlook the narrative that gives data meaning.

What’s the biggest communication challenge for improving population health?

A key challenge is reminding people about the fundamentals of public health. Health isn’t just about healthcare – it’s also about housing, employment, education and other broad areas of life.

I have found that people are now talking about these drivers of health inequalities more, in a way I’ve not seen or heard before, since the Covid pandemic, which is fantastic.

There have been a number of changes, such as reorganisation of central government departments and the NHS. This includes the formation of integrated care systems (ICSs), which offer a new way of working together, strategically.

This has made it clear that the responsibility for health and wellbeing doesn’t just sit with one organisation. We need to get better at coordinating and collaborating.

What is the most important principle for you when developing health content?

Improving people’s lives. It may sound idealistic, but when you communicate in a way that truly resonates with people, you see that ‘lightbulb’ moment of understanding in them and they start to make the connections for themselves. Crafting a message is about finding the right framing that inspires action.

For instance, I recently developed a strategic needs assessment. Rather than overwhelming readers with a 100-page report, we focused on what we wanted people to connect with and illustrated that using stories.

For instance, we used the example of the impact of living in a cold, damp home on someone who repeatedly suffered from chest infections to highlight the links between healthcare and housing.

Given that most people are time poor, concise executive summaries and clear infographics are really helpful in distilling key messages. Keeping the message simple with tight writing really helps.

What are the biggest misconceptions you see in your work?

It’s a common myth that data specialists are insular and poor communicators. In my experience, my analytical colleagues are incredibly creative, always exploring new angles and finding innovative solutions or ways of displaying information.

This is so important because, while we have plenty of data, we sometimes lack the ability (or time!) to translate data into meaningful insight that prompts the much-needed action to change things.

What communication trends are you seeing in your field?

Nowadays, there’s a shift towards visual communication, partly because everyone’s pressed for time. I think the public sector could be doing more of this and using social media more, with more campaigns online for younger audiences, but resource constraints often hold us back.

Creating short films and infographics to communicate is a science in itself, so you have to learn new tools without getting swept away.

What’s on the horizon for you?

I’m working with partners to develop dashboards to help services monitor their progress over time. We have a new web resource providing population health data across the ICB, and I’m planning a training programme to help ICB colleagues feel more confident using data.

We’re also looking at the role of the NHS in secondary prevention and sharing insights from our project on refugees’ healthcare and strategic needs.

Building networks and collaboration is another a priority, especially since the ICB has recently restructured. I’m supporting colleagues through this transition while we manage increased workloads with fewer staff.

Aside from all this, I’m also working on completing my Master’s in public health. I love to be busy!

1. Make sure your data is high quality and accurate, with a clear message. People need confidence in what they’re looking at, or you’ll lose them altogether. This trust is built on accuracy and often being able to explain something complex in a simple way!

2. Collaborate. The more you involve and engage with others, the richer your perspective becomes. Share ideas, embrace new approaches and push the boundaries.

3. Make ‘So what?’ your mantra. Imagine your least supportive reader asking simple questions like this. This helps you frame the topic, focusing on the one key message you want readers to take away.