Hotfoot Design appointed by NHS for Resilience Hub project

Lancaster agency Hotfoot Design was recently appointed by Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust to raise awareness of the Resilience Hub.

The Resilience Hub launched at the outset of the pandemic to support public sector workers and their immediate families with the psychological impact of Covid-19.

Hotfoot Design, a multi-award-winning creative agency based in Lancaster, was tasked with creating a marketing campaign for the project. This included a brand identity, website and awareness campaign to reach the target audience across a broad range of media – from online and print, to outdoor and events.

The campaign will now be showcased to the Cabinet Office, after it was selected as an example of best practice for communications leads from all councils and public sector organisations across the UK.

Gita Bhutani, director for psychological professions at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust and lead for the Resilience Hub, said: “We selected Hotfoot because of their passion, commitment and creativity, and we are hugely impressed with their work so far. We have been excited to launch the campaign and hopefully help people out there who can really benefit from the support of the Resilience Hub.”

Charlie Haywood, creative director at Hotfoot Design, said: “We are thrilled to be supporting such an important initiative. It is fantastic to be working closely with the team at the NHS to develop a campaign that will raise awareness of this hugely important initiative.”

According to research published by the NHS in January, almost half of doctors, nurses and other ICU staff reported symptoms of PTSD, severe depression or anxiety at the height of the pandemic. Of these, about 40% had probable PTSD – higher even than the rates seen among military veterans.

The newly-launched Resilience Hub is a support resource for all public sector workers and volunteers who have worked through the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as their families. On the website, there’s information about the support available, as well as tips on supporting others struggling with their mental health.

The team behind the Resilience Hub is urging those working in the emergency services, health and social care, teachers, council workers, public sector volunteers and their families to use their online self-assessment tool to ‘check in’ on how they’re doing. It takes just fifteen minutes to complete and can be followed up with a confidential self-referral to the Resilience Hub team if extra support is needed.

Gita said: “There’s absolutely no doubt that the pandemic has had an impact on us all – especially those who have been working on the very frontline throughout. The Resilience Hub can offer support to all public sector workers in Lancashire and South Cumbria who are struggling to deal with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress or feel like they’re having a bit of a wobble because of the pandemic.”

Gita added: “We have had a fantastic uptake of the service. Currently, around 75% of those we have supported work in the NHS. Through this new campaign, we want to make sure all public sector workers know that help is available and that we can be their first port of call if they need psychological support.

“If you’re struggling and work in the public sector in Lancashire and South Cumbria, please do check in using the self-assessment tool – you’re here for us, we’re here for you.”

For more information about the Resilience Hub, please visit: www.lscresiliencehub.nhs.uk, ring: 01772 520228 or email: lschub@lscft.nhs.uk