When a crisis hits your healthcare organisation, you have a limited time to respond before the situation can spiral out of control.
Everyone – from organisations to individuals – is vulnerable to crises, and when it comes to crisis situations the question is not if it will affect your healthcare brand or company, but when.
As with other areas of communications, crisis comms is facing more challenges than ever, as the media landscape continues to fragment and transform.
Organisations are expected to respond at a fraction of the time that they have had to in the past. What’s more, they must ensure they factor into healthcare crisis comms plans the latest digital platforms to ensure messages get to the right audiences – at the right time.
A negative story that risks damage to the reputation can now reach thousands of people via social media in seconds. However, on average it takes 21 hours before companies issue meaningful external communications to manage an issue.
This indicates that a significant majority felt unprepared for such crises. The stakes? Your reputation, patient trust, and potentially millions in lost revenue.
A product recall, a patient data breach, or a PR disaster can spiral out of control without a solid healthcare crisis communications strategy in place.
If you don’t control the narrative, someone else will, and often to your detriment.
So, how can you safeguard your brand’s reputation in the face of a crisis? Let’s break it down.
Why healthcare crisis communications matter more than ever
Healthcare organisations face unique challenges when it comes to crisis management.
From product failure to patient care incidents, the complexity of the healthcare industry means that a crisis can impact a wide variety of stakeholders, from supply chain, to shareholders, staff members, customers, end users, distributors – the list goes on.
A case in point – healthcare data breaches cost organisations an average of £4.6m. But the real cost goes far beyond financial impact – it’s about lost patient trust, damaged relationships with stakeholders, and compromised staff morale.
The critical first hour: Your response framework
When a crisis hits, every minute counts. The first step is activating your crisis team – but who should be on it? Your core team needs to include communications leads, legal representation, and senior management.
They need to gather facts quickly and accurately, avoiding the temptation to make assumptions or rush to conclusions.
Now you need to communicate with your stakeholders. But it’s not just about sending out messages. It’s about identifying who needs to know what, when they need to know it, and through which channels they should receive information.
This might mean different messages for staff, patients, media, and regulatory bodies. And that’s where we come in.
The power of professional crisis management
Managing a crisis while running a healthcare organisation is like performing surgery while managing the hospital – it’s not just difficult, it’s potentially dangerous.
Professional healthcare PR services and crisis management bring a lot of advantages:
- An objective perspective. When you’re in the midst of a crisis, emotion can cloud judgment. External crisis communications experts bring clear-headed, strategic thinking when you need it most.
- You benefit from extensive crisis experience. A specialised healthcare crisis communications agency has handled similar situations before and knows what works – and importantly, what doesn’t.
- You gain access to established media relationships. When every minute counts, having trusted media contacts can make the difference between controlling the narrative and chasing it.
Building a crisis-ready culture
Prevention truly is better than cure. A comprehensive crisis communications plan isn’t just a document, it’s part of your organisational culture.
This means regular training, updates, and scenario planning. Your team should know exactly what to do when a crisis hits, not be fumbling through a dusty manual.
At The Tonic Communications, we work with healthcare organisations to build this crisis-ready culture. We create living, breathing crisis plans that evolve with your organisation, with template resources to draw on. Our robust approach includes issues mapping, risk scoring, media training for key spokespeople, crisis simulation exercises, and continuous monitoring for potential issues.
How to effectively manage a crisis
Have a crisis communication plan before you need one
A crisis isn’t the time to start scrambling for a strategy. A proactive crisis communication plan for healthcare organisations ensures you’re ready when the unexpected happens.
What should your plan include?
- Identifying a crisis: Knowing where an issue might become a crisis, how to spot a potential issue before it evolves, and the reporting protocols in place at your healthcare organisation.
- Crisis team: Identify key spokespeople and decision-makers who will manage the response.
- Channel audit: What platforms do you use, do your stakeholders use, and which could you mobilise at pace.
- Key messaging: Define clear, transparent, and consistent messaging that aligns with your values.
- Media strategy: Draft of media statements, Q&A responses, and a social media response plan.
- Internal communication: Employees should hear the news from you first, not the media.
Tonic tip: A healthcare public relations agency can help you define or refine your crisis plan and ensure your messaging is watertight before a crisis unfolds.
Act fast, but don’t rush
When a crisis strikes, your response window is short. Silence fuels speculation, so timely and transparent communication is key. But there’s a balance, you need to act fast without making knee-jerk statements that could backfire.
How do you strike the right balance?
- Acknowledge the situation swiftly, even if you don’t have all the details.
- Commit to investigating and providing updates as new information emerges.
- Show empathy. People want to see that you care before they listen to the details.
Own the narrative with the right media strategy
The media will cover a crisis whether you engage or not. The question is, will they get the story from you or from speculation?
Having a strong healthcare media relations strategy ensures that your voice is heard first.
- Prepare spokespeople: A well-trained spokesperson can make the difference between restoring trust and worsening the situation.
- Be available: If journalists can’t reach you, they’ll find someone else who may not represent your brand positively.
- Use digital PR for healthcare: Control the narrative by publishing official statements on your website, LinkedIn, and other key platforms relevant to your business and your stakeholder groups.
Tonic tip: A medical PR agency can help craft media responses that keep your reputation intact while addressing public concerns.
Monitor the conversation and address misinformation
Crises unfold in real-time, especially on social media. If you’re not actively monitoring conversations, misinformation can spread undetected.
Here’s what you should be doing:
- Track mentions of your brand and industry keywords to stay ahead of narratives.
- Correct misinformation swiftly with factual statements.
- Engage with stakeholders and don’t just broadcast messages; be part of the conversation.
Rebuild trust with transparent follow-ups
Once the immediate crisis is managed, the work isn’t over. Rebuilding trust takes time, and how you handle post-crisis communication is just as important as the initial response.
- Lessons learned: Extensive debriefs should cover every step of the response, and how it could be improved in future
- Show what’s changed: If the crisis was due to an internal issue, explain what steps you’re taking to prevent it from happening again.
- Keep stakeholders updated: Regular updates reinforce your commitment to transparency.
- Use case studies: If applicable, share success stories of how you navigated the crisis and improved.
A strong reputation management strategy for hospitals and healthcare providers turns a crisis into an opportunity to demonstrate accountability and leadership.
Ready to protect your organisation?
Don’t wait for a crisis to strike before putting protection in place. The Tonic Communications offers comprehensive healthcare crisis communications support, from planning and prevention through to active crisis management.
We’re here to help protect your organisation’s reputation. Get in touch for a confidential chat about your crisis communications needs.
