Olympus Medical: Influencing the bowel cancer patient pathway

Opening new markets for endoscopy in the NHS.

Challenge

UK bowel cancer services are under immense strain and not coping with existing demand. Olympus Medical has bold ideas about how the system can be improved, providing a better experience for patients. They asked us to help them engage with stakeholders to seed those ideas, effect change and open new markets for their products.​

Approach

A messaging workshop allowed us to develop a comprehensive messaging matrix to underpin Olympus’ public affairs engagement, elevating their ideas above product. This included identifying new patient pathways that would not only improve patient experience, but also place Olympus in an ideal position to be a trusted partner of the NHS.​

Detailed stakeholder mapping followed, identifying the key stakeholders within Public Health England, local cancer alliances, the NHS, Westminster and Whitehall and the third sector. Approaches and collateral were individualised based on the specific interests of these stakeholders, and a comprehensive programme of stakeholder engagement was undertaken.

Impact

To date, Olympus Medical have met stakeholders across the bowel cancer ecosystem, including PHE’s bowel cancer screening programme manager, experts in Academic Health Science Networks and Cancer Alliances, members of the Health Select Committee and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Cancer, and professional bodies such as the Royal College of Nursing.​

These meetings have opened up opportunities to test and trial new patient pathways and approaches.​