Local Ambulance Service ‘999 Misuse Costs Lives’ campaign shortlisted for two CIPR PRide Awards.
South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) has been shortlisted in the Healthcare category in both the 2012 Wessex, and Thames & Chiltern regional Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide Awards, chosen for their outstanding 999 Misuse Costs Lives campaign. Over 1,000 entries were received from freelancers, consultancies and in-house teams across twelve UK regions and nationally.
CIPR CEO, Jane Wilson MCIPR, commented: "The CIPR PRide Awards celebrate the best PR and communications campaigns and teams from the profession across the UK. To be shortlisted for a CIPR PRide Award demonstrates exemplary achievement, impact and value - immediately putting your work in the spotlight. The sheer number of high quality entries received this year, especially when things are still pretty tough out there economically, is testament to a thriving nationwide industry. Congratulations for reaching this stage and the best of luck for the awards presentation evenings."
Commenting, SCAS Head of Communications & PR Gillian Hodgetts said:
'Reaching the shortlist for these prestigious awards in not one, but two regions, is a huge achievement for our ambulance service and testament to the enthusiasm that our staff had for wanting to produce an impactful viral, that literally has the potential to save lives across the 4 counties we serve.'
The 999 Misuse Costs Lives campaign was launched in January 2012 in response to SCAS receiving 1,235 hoax calls and many more inappropriate calls during 2011. It is designed to raise awareness of appropriate use of the ambulance service, to encourage people to access the service appropriately and to reduce inappropriate demand on, and misuse of the ambulance service.
The campaign includes a viral video entitled '999 South Central - Misuse Costs Lives' hosted by YouTube. This video and a further viral video on the trust's Crews' Views have received in excess of 65,000 hits to date. The campaign is supported through Twitter@SCAS999 and by a pro-active media campaign in the local, regional and national media.
A range of vehicle vinyl decals proclaiming the Misuse Costs Lives message has been produced for the trust's fleet of Ambulances, Motor Cycles and Rapid Response Vehicles.
The judging process for the PRide Awards is rigorous with a national panel of industry experts assessing the shortlisted entries and choosing the winners. The 2012 Chairs of Judges, Gill Dandy FCIPR, Senior Consultant at The Centre for Strategy and Communication, and Chris Genasi FCIPR, Senior Consultant at APCO Worldwide, assisted in ensuring a fair and consistent judging process.
Gill Dandy, commented:
'I would like to congratulate all of the individuals and teams that have been shortlisted across the twelve regions and nations in the UK. The standard of entries continues to improve year on year which demonstrates an increasingly vibrant public relations profession.'
The winners of the 2012 Wessex region CIPR PRide Awards will be announced at black-tie dinner on 26 September 2012 at The Ageas Bowl, Botley Road, Southampton, Hampshire.
The winners of the 2012 Thames and Chiltern region CIPR PRide Awards will be announced at black-tie dinner on 23 November 2012 at The Hilton St Anne's Manor, Bracknell, Berkshire.
Please do your bit to help your local ambulance service and think before you dial 999. The emergency ambulance service exists for genuine medical emergencies and life-threatening situations only. The Trust has one ambulance per 35,000 people. Calling for an ambulance when you don't need one can put another person's life at risk by tying up a valuable resource that could respond to a genuine life threatening medical emergency!
Published 25 July 2012