The Huntercombe Group
Can a specialist healthcare service provider increase customer confidence and lasting brand connections through care and support?
Stepping into the spotlight
Huntercombe is a leader in the healthcare sector, with a significant market share across England, Scotland and Wales. However, it has an under-represented brand and public profile outside of patients, residents, their family and direct commissioners. It is aware that to genuinely occupy a leading position in its field, it needs a compelling digital experience.
Providing services across adult mental health and learning disabilities, child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and brain injury and neurological care, Huntercombe strives to continue to be seen as an expert provider of care but also a compassionate and nurturing organisation.
Wearing their heart on their sleeve
With little differentiation versus competitors, Huntercombe wanted to major on their brand story ‘believing and achieving together’ to create lasting customer connections and attract the best talent.
How could the four key principles of Patient first, Evidence-based, Outcome focused and Well-coordinated become the cornerstones of a revitalised digital offering?
Understanding multiple user groups
To communicate and engage with users effectively, a true understanding of their wants and needs was gathered. To create a rounded profile of the multiple customer types concerned we conducted face-to-face depth interviews, ran diary studies and surveys.
Below is an overview of each user group and their primary needs:
Existing patients/residents
Understanding model of care
Service and location specific information
Real patient stories and outcomes
Community sharing opportunities
Relevant third party content
Potential patients/residents
Increased signposting and discoverability of content
Detailed information on expertise
More on what to expect
Clear contact details
Referring clinicians
Findable case studies
Relatable clinical language
Referral processes
Bed availability and funding requirements
Separate contact details
Existing staff and future talent
Authentic insight into roles and our people – why we’re different
Detailed ethos and values
Available roles and how to apply
Role specific information
Commissioners and funders
Huntercombe model and approach
Group structure and information
Success stories and patient outcomes
Governance and regulatory requirements
Wider public with an interest
Human insight into personal care
Core offer and services
Signposting to relevant content
What Huntercombe can do to support
Be more human
The customer research and insight gathered could be contextualised through one overarching need - a human touch. Users expressed the want for a digital experience to be authentic, personal, credible and trustworthy.
Providing each user with the ability to engage with Huntercombe in a digital capacity that allowed for the individual to have control was key. Reflecting the personal care provided through relevant and timely content, a peer-to-peer voice, and customisable settings was a platform to build upon.
Life in high definition
With Huntercombe’s four key principles in mind, we aligned these with an increased sense of the human touch. We took the decision to reshape the brand message to ‘Nurturing the world one individual at a time’. This placed greater emphasis on a patient first approach and added a clearer business focus.
In order to provide an instant connection for users, we chose to major on authentic photography. This would give Huntercombe a real and genuine appeal. Focussing on real people, real stories and real situations. Never shying away from the issues that affect many people across the UK.
Real life stories
Relatable peer-to-peer stories and soundbites from Huntercombe patients and staff members provided users with an instant window into the care and attention each individual receives.
Incorporating intimate video content, case studies, social posts and testimonials gave the digital experience an authentic human centred voice that encouraged greater engagement and recall for users.
User centred engagement
The redesign took on an editorial feel to compliment the increased human aspect. This allowed for content to be created and explored in a modular fashion making complex subject matter much more digestible.
A big part of the site focus was to improve accessibility, SEO, CMS migration, newsletter builder, social guidelines and shareable content. This ensured that the site was setup to keep ongoing management light so that time and energy could be poured into creating engaging content to reassure and inspire customers.
Relatable and welcoming homepage leading with the new brand story and human centric approach.
Filterable modular content encourages discoverability, subject variation and a responsive experience. Sewn together through a consistent art direction.
Customisation settings allow for relevant, personal, and individual experiences. Tailor the content based upon your needs.
Spotlight on location specific content to promote each practice and build out a community feel. The inclusion of a live social feed adds to the real-time voice per location and service.
Key employer information and credentials is kept accessible and visible to all to encourage transparency.
Jobs board is directly pulled through from stand alone human resources site to encourage cross pollination of user traffic.
The impact and results
95% rated
Services as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’
3.3/5 stars
Average rating from Staff members
2% increase
Staff numbers rose to 3,000+ within 6 months
I know it’s been a lot of hard work, but the service is really amazing, happy and caring and it is just lovely to see what a difference you all have made.
All the residents I met were at pains to stress how well cared for they were and how everyone in the whole service plays an important part.It was lovely to hear that even when their brain injury might make them demanding or frustrated that colleagues were unfailingly patient and kind.
It was also clear that residents’ wishes, and inputs are a key driver of the service, and the advocate was clear that any feedback is responded to quickly and well. It was so lovely to get to chat to so many colleagues and hear their views.
Care Quality Commission inspection, 2019