A pioneering partnership between LIFT Company, Renova, the Mid Mersey A&E Delivery Board, and the rugby league club Widnes Vikings has won a national HSJ Award for Primary Care Innovation.
Beat The Scrum sees past and present Widnes Vikings stars, and legends of St Helens and Warrington Wolves, unite to help educate the public on how to choose the right services when they are injured or ill, and offer advice on staying well.
The brainchild of Widnes Vikings’ Director of Communications and Digital Engagement, John Hughes, the campaigns resulted in high levels of engagement with local communities. With the Beat The Scrum programme generating more than half a million online video views and extensive local, national and regional coverage, as well as being heavily showcased at Super League games and the Magic Weekend fixture event at St James’ Park in Newcastle, it has given the NHS an important platform to engage with the public.
This success follows the campaign winning the ‘Best Sponsorship’ accolade at the prestigious international Leaders Sports Awards in October, being selected ahead of programmes with the likes of Manchester United, the NFL and the LA Clippers.
Renova, the local LIFT (Local Infrastructure Finance Company), has a direct interest in some of the main aims of the NHS, such as directing people to use community-based health facilities, such as the Widnes Urgent Care Centre (UCC), one of 17 health centres built and maintained by Renova and in which CHP is the head tenant.
Ian Willett, General Manager of Renova Developments, says: “Rugby League is a massive part of the local culture in the north west of England. Partnering with Widnes Vikings has proven to be an innovative way to reach a big audience and one that is highly localised – ideally so for promoting locally relevant messages such as raising awareness of local Urgent Care services. The Beat The Scrum campaign has generated a tremendous amount of exposure and is a highly innovative partnership. I am incredibly proud that Renova has been able to support this initiative. To be recognised at the HSJ awards is a great honour.”
James Rule, CEO of Widnes Vikings, says: “It’s been a privilege for our club to develop and lead a campaign that makes such a big difference to local NHS services and our communities. To know that this programme has not only been recognised as one of the best campaigns in world of sport but also as a standout innovation in the healthcare sector is a real source of pride. We are exceptionally grateful to Renova Developments, who have supported the project from the very outset of the campaign, and to the Mid-Mersey A&E Delivery Board for their vision in commissioning the programme.”
Well done Renova!
