Prioritising prevention with digital transformation

How NHS Essex ICB embarked on proactive outreach, data-led and hyper-local campaigns, bridging the communication gap.

The organisation

The NHS Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) (previously Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board ICB) manages health services for a large and varied population of 1.2 million residents. The region faces typical modern healthcare hurdles, including deep-rooted health inequalities and a persistent need to combat misinformation across both affluent and deprived areas.

The challenge

To support the national ten-year health plan, the ICB needed to change its fundamental approach from treating sickness to prioritising prevention. Their small communications team realised that traditional broadcasting methods were no longer effective at reaching people or changing behaviours. They needed a digital transformation that would make their outreach proactive, data-led, and hyper-local, bridging communication gaps in underserved communities.

The solution

In January 2025, the team embedded the Orlo platform into their core strategy to manage digital delivery and social listening. This allowed them to monitor multiple social media platforms, like Nextdoor for local community updates and Instagram for younger residents, through one unified lens. Instead of corporate-style messaging, they used Orlo to amplify “trusted voices”, featuring local doctors, nurses and the community on social media, who residents find more relatable and reliable. They also moved away from generic templates to deploy targeted, evidence-based stories that addressed specific public misconceptions in real time.

The results

This data-driven approach has turned digital engagement into a powerful tool for improving public health in their area. The “Invincible feeling, invisible danger” campaign successfully encouraged more people to take high blood pressure seriously, while the “Let’s talk about suicide” initiative during Pride month provided life-saving skills to higher-risk groups. By building trust in community-based care like pharmacies and physiotherapists, the ICB has helped residents get the care they need faster while reducing pressure on traditional GP appointments. And their content is now more inclusive than ever, using multi-language videos and accessible formats to ensure no community is left behind.

The team reached 1.6 million total impressions and more than 308,000 unique individuals across these key campaigns. The community’s responsiveness led to the management of 1,700 inbound messages from residents seeking guidance. Clinical outcomes followed this engagement, with a 44.65% increase in pharmacy blood pressure checks, and a 26% rise in patients monitoring their blood pressure at home. Additionally, suicide prevention training completions grew from 6,200 in 2024 to 9,700 in 2025, and a targeted multi-language breast screening campaign gained 11,000 views.

Audience

1.6 million

impressions across social

Audience

308,000

unique views

Outcome

44.65%

increase in pharmacy blood pressure checks