Engaging with our Existing Customers

We recognise that our customers/users will have different needs and we therefore use a range of methods to communicate and engage with them, as explained in our Customer Service and User Engagement policy. In line with this, we use the following methods specifically:

• Communicate with external customers/users via our website and social media channels
  
• Customers/users can contact us by email and mail
  
• Meet regularly with internal customers/users
  
• Hold regular engagement sessions for the public, think tanks, professional associations and charities in the pharmaceutical and prescribing sector, and the media and commentators

Details of these methods and what we do in response to communications from users are provided below. Regular communication with our external PfD England statistics customers/users will be via the NHSBSA website and social media channels. These communications will inform customers/users of the latest PfD England statistics releases, upcoming engagement events, public consultations and any other news.

PfD England statistics customers/users can contact the NHSBSA Statistics team at any time with questions or queries, to request support or just to let us know who they are and how they use the PfD England statistics. Contact can be made via:

• Email to the NHSBSA Statistics mailbox: statistics@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
  
• Postal Mail: Statistical Publication Lead, NHS Business Services Authority, Stella House, Goldcrest Way, Newburn Riverside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE15 8NY
  
• Social Media Channels including twitter

These contact details are available on the NHSBSA statistics webpage and are included in the Customer Service and User Engagement Policy document.

Alternatively, customers/users can contact the responsible statistician for the PfD England publication, these contact details can be found on the PfD England publication itself.

Communication channels (including email, mail, social media) will be checked regularly (at least every 48 hours) and where appropriate an NHSBSA statistician will respond to customers/users on an individual basis.

We recognise that many customers/users may not come directly to the NHSBSA to access PfD England statistics but rather are presented with them via third parties such as the news media, charitable organisations, and other commentators. For this reason, we invest time in engaging with these groups that distribute statistics to wide audiences. We maintain a register of media contacts and commentators in the areas of statistics, prescribing, health and pharmaceuticals as well as key think tanks, professional associations, and charities with interests in pharmaceuticals and prescribing.

All feedback, queries and requests received will be documented and recorded in a secure manner. All received records will be reviewed in a timely manner, at a minimum this will be done twice a year before the bi-annual user groups taking place. This is so that any newly discovered themes or issues which would benefit from further exploration can be discussed during the user groups.

Individual records will be stored in line with internal data governance policies and General Data Protection Regulation.

Members of the NHSBSA statistics team will then meet to discuss the feedback received via both the user groups and other communication channels and use it to guide any planned amendments or improvements to the PfD England statistics methodology, format of the publication and wider service provision.

A summary of the feedback received, and resulting actions taken or planned will be published on the NHSBSA website. Feedback will be used to create, update, and maintain a customer map and our understanding of a number of user profiles. This includes understanding details about our customers/users demographics, the purposes for which they use the PfD England statistics, and any user demands or pain points. These will be used as tools to help support and improve business understanding of our customers/users.

Engaging New and Potential Customers

The processes described above should ensure that existing customers/users are able to receive communication from, and reach out to, the NHSBSA Statistics team in a way and at a time that suits them. Additional activities will be conducted in order to continue to identify existing and potential customers/users of the PfD England statistics. These include:

• Review of FOIs, data requests and data analytics initiatives
  
• Google alerts
  
• Meetings with NHSBSA colleagues
  
• Meetings with colleagues in NHS organisations and DHSC

We will regularly review Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, chargeable and non-chargeable Data Requests and Data Analytics Initiatives to look for common trends and individuals making repeat requests in order to identify individuals who may be interested in the PfD England statistics. Where these individuals have provided consent for the NHSBSA to contact them we will then reach out to them to explore their needs and requirements and how these might be addressed by the PfD England publication or the wider NHSBSA statistics service.

To keep track of media coverage of the PfD England statistics and prescribing data, Google alerts will be set up. Identifying commentators who use the PfD England statistics and/or write about prescribing will be made possible by doing this. Where contact details are available, we will reach out to the individuals identified to explore their needs and requirements.

We will regularly work with colleagues in the NHSBSA Insight directorate and Prescriptions Services teams to identify new users who may become apparent because of their ongoing work in user research, customer insight, and stakeholder engagement. The knowledge gained from these activities will be used to update our customer/user map and personas.