Ros Trinick is an Account Director at PLMR, an award wining public relations and public affairs agency based in London. Ros pecialises in crisis communications, particularly in the health and social care sector, handling reputation management issues at all levels and working with journalists from the UK’s leading publications. Find out more about Ros at: http://www.plmr.co.uk/about/team-member/ros-trinick

1. Reputation Management:
Protecting Your Business
A Presentation On Effective Media
Relations & Crisis Management Within The
Health And Social Care Industry
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2. Introduction
 Ros Trinick - PLMR
 Media Relations, Crisis Management, Political
Lobbying Services rooted in understanding your
sector
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3. Crisis Management And The Health And
Social Care Sector
 Crisis management can be triggered by a wide
range of situations
 The media can make or break a care provider
 The confidence of service users or their families
can be destroyed by a badly handled crisis
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4. What is Crisis Management?
 Reaction to a negative situation
 A well – coordinated, ‘joined up’ response
 It can become a positive event
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5. How Might Media Coverage Become A
Problem For You?
 Very often media coverage is a consequence
of a regulatory or legal intervention
 Undercover infiltration
 Off-the-record approaches to media
 Changes in what you do
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6. How to Prepare Before a Crisis Occurs:
Before you have a problem with the media
or the community build strong relationships:
 Know your clients and patient families
 Know your local Councillors
 Know your local MP
 Engage with your community
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7. How to Prepare Before a Crisis Occurs:
Media specific:
 Be known to your local media
 Be co-operative when the media contact you
 Have prepared information on your business ready to
use for media enquiries
 Have an established plan for dealing with media
enquiries
 Never, ever, ever say “no comment”
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8. So What Can You Do To Protect Your
Business/ Organisation?
 Set up an emergency response team
 Predict the likely scale of media interest
 Launch tactical press operations
 Provide emergency media training
 Implement media relations plans……
 Think like your audience ….
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9. So What Can You Do To Protect Your
Business/ Organisation?
 Implement media relations plans-
 Press conferences/statements
 Positive feedback
 Journalist contact programmes
 Take advice
 Always get the full facts before public comment
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10. So What Can You Do To Protect Your
Business / Organisation?
 Monitor events
 Provide ongoing briefings to key stakeholders
 Recognise the importance of families
 Join up with agencies to present a united front
 Be aware of what lawyers can do for you
 Above all be human in your response
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11. 11
Integrating Your PR & Legal Operations
 Mutual understanding between lawyers & PRs
 Joint agreement on communications
 Sharing information
 Two sides of the same coin

12. 12
Real Life Case Study
 MP was making allegations against a service based on
confidential patient information in their possession
 Lawyers rightly pointed out how this MP had no right to be in
possession of that information
 BUT…a too strongly worded/aggressive response would just
provoke/embolden
 SO INSTEAD...a conciliatory approach sought to invite the MP
to the service to talk
 RESULT...public attacks ended

13. Dealing with Journalists – Specific
Tips
 Bad press coverage is not automatic
 A “public face”
 Consider live interviews very carefully
 Always be polite
 Find out where enquiries are coming from
 Implement media monitoring
 Establish a dedicated 24 hours contact number
 Never lie
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14. Why Does Any of This Matter to
You?
 An important pillar of your work
 Regulatory intervention
 Reputation damage
 Morale damage
 Brand damage
 Damage to the people you support
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15. Conclusions
 Get the care right in the first place!
 Legal and PR integration is key
 Plan ahead & be prepared
 Don’t panic
 Remember these top tips
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16. Annex 1 – Our Crisis Management Services
• 24 Hour Dedicated Media Hotline ascribed to you
• Strategic Advice to sort the situation out
• Liaison with media –handling the journalists
• Liaison with families
• Intervening in the story & changing its direction
• Working alongside Lawyers
• Drafting press statements
• Holding press conferences (very rarely recommended)
• Liaison with the press teams of CQC, Local Authority, Police, other
regulatory bodies
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17. Annex 1 – Our Crisis Management
Services
• Media Training
• Run throughs
• Production of all preparatory materials
• Online press offices/ web presence
• Sounding Board in a difficult situation
• Peace of mind
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