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Healthcare Conference Q&A with Matt Worrall

On the 16th July, 2020, some of the brightest and most accomplished healthcare PR practitioners will be gathering at our Health Conference. Hear from the industry’s leading speakers as they tackle the sectors’ most pressing issues and welcoming a new decade of healthcare storytelling.

As we build closer to the Health Conference, we sat down with Matt Worrall, Associate Director, Policy & Communications, MSD, to talk about fake news in health comms, the health campaign that struck the right balance, and the biggest takeaway for health comms pros from COVID-19.

Matt is a healthcare and corporate communications professional with 20 years' experience working across the health sector from medical professional bodies to pharma on media relations, policy development, digital communication, public affairs, stakeholder relations and crisis communications.

 

How have you seen the health communications over the last few months in combatting fake news/spread of misinformation?

“Fake news thrives when people acting in good faith find themselves on the wrong side of the facts. Journalism has never been more necessary and has done a good job at bringing to light issues that need further explanation.”

Is there a health campaign that comes to mind that did a great job of delivering a balance of emotion-led and rational, evidence-based information?

“So far it is hard to beat 'Stay Home-Save Lives-Protect the NHS' - for 8 weeks it kept the country in compliance with a very rigorous health message and probably saved the system from being overwhelmed in the first wave of infection.”

When we eventually move away from the pandemic, what do you expect to be the biggest takeaway from a health communications perspective?

“This might be the moment when culture catches up with technology and finally tips over digital communications in healthcare from being a 'broadcasting' activity to genuine part of the service. As clinicians are now remotely delivering clinics and healthcare providers are digitising services and that will endure.”

Book a seat to the Health Conference here.