Stop Think Choose

Choosing the right NHS service: our survey

NHS Kent and Medway wanted to know why people make the choices they do when attending a healthcare facility for advice or treatment.

We asked people to complete a survey about our Stop Think Choose (STC) campaign, which aims to help direct people to the most appropriate health service. The survey was completed by people online and in-person at urgent treatment centre (UTC) and emergency department (ED) sites.

Our www.StopThinkChoose.co.uk lists a range of treatment options, including a map of pharmacies and details of urgent care services in Kent and Medway. It also includes information on self-care, mental health and how NHS 111 can help.

Our survey closed on Thursday, 21 March 2025.


What we heard

We wanted to know if people had seen our Stop Think Choose (STC) campaign. 68 per cent of people we spoke to at urgent treatment centre (UTC) and emergency department (ED) sites had not seen the campaign before.

For those who completed the online survey, 33 per cent said that they were aware of the campaign. A small proportion of respondents said they had seen a poster at their pharmacy or on social media. Whilst this is not a statistically reliable sample and people surveyed were recruited via our social media channels where much of our STC content is shared, this is a promising benchmark. gov.uk suggests you need to reach 80 per cent of your audience to achieve 50 per cent recall. We can test the recall rate again next year to see if it improves.

We were also looking to find out if people understood the campaign messaging. This open-ended question received various responses, with many individuals indicating that they thought the campaign aimed to encourage people to consider the most suitable healthcare option for their level of injury or illness.

Others felt it was about reducing pressure and strain on services such as ED or GP practices. Some people found the message and picture confusing without more context. We are unsure if these responses came from people who had seen the social media advert, which does have a small amount of narrative to support the message, or if they were responding in relation to the phrase itself. We would therefore like to carry out some more detailed focus group work to understand this better.

We asked where people would go to for advice if they had a health concern. We found that most people would use a search engine to find help. Some respondents indicated that they would contact their GP practice for advice, but not specifically to request an appointment.

It was also important for us to know if the campaign was successful, and if the messaging had made people think about the most appropriate place for them to visit. 57 per cent of people who responded to the survey in-person and 50.3 per cent who completed the survey online said the poster made them consider their health issue and the best place for treatment.

Some respondents said while they would aim to make a sensible choice about where to access help, the help was not always available. Other people told us the messaging had not made them reconsider where they access help as they already make sensible choices. A few people said they would always call their GP about health issues.

We wanted to know the reasons why people had attended UTCs and EDs for their illness or injury. 18 people said that they were unable to get an appointment with their GP practice. 11 people said their GP practice had advised them to attend.


What’s next:

The Stop Think Choose campaign has been running for three years to promote appropriate access during periods of pressure across the healthcare system in Kent and Medway. To help us plan the next steps of the campaign and understand where we might need to change messaging or adapt materials, we wanted to get the views of people using the service to further develop the campaign for next winter.

NHS Kent and Medway’s Communications and Engagement Team has reviewed the findings of the survey and will use the feedback to make the following improvements to the campaign:

• Increase awareness of the campaign at hospital sites through printed materials and digital screens.

• Review language about NHS pressures on the website to make it more patient focused.

• Review and test print resources with target audiences.

• Increase brand awareness through marketing approaches.

Thank you to everyone who participated.

Choosing the right NHS service: our survey

NHS Kent and Medway wanted to know why people make the choices they do when attending a healthcare facility for advice or treatment.

We asked people to complete a survey about our Stop Think Choose (STC) campaign, which aims to help direct people to the most appropriate health service. The survey was completed by people online and in-person at urgent treatment centre (UTC) and emergency department (ED) sites.

Our www.StopThinkChoose.co.uk lists a range of treatment options, including a map of pharmacies and details of urgent care services in Kent and Medway. It also includes information on self-care, mental health and how NHS 111 can help.

Our survey closed on Thursday, 21 March 2025.


What we heard

We wanted to know if people had seen our Stop Think Choose (STC) campaign. 68 per cent of people we spoke to at urgent treatment centre (UTC) and emergency department (ED) sites had not seen the campaign before.

For those who completed the online survey, 33 per cent said that they were aware of the campaign. A small proportion of respondents said they had seen a poster at their pharmacy or on social media. Whilst this is not a statistically reliable sample and people surveyed were recruited via our social media channels where much of our STC content is shared, this is a promising benchmark. gov.uk suggests you need to reach 80 per cent of your audience to achieve 50 per cent recall. We can test the recall rate again next year to see if it improves.

We were also looking to find out if people understood the campaign messaging. This open-ended question received various responses, with many individuals indicating that they thought the campaign aimed to encourage people to consider the most suitable healthcare option for their level of injury or illness.

Others felt it was about reducing pressure and strain on services such as ED or GP practices. Some people found the message and picture confusing without more context. We are unsure if these responses came from people who had seen the social media advert, which does have a small amount of narrative to support the message, or if they were responding in relation to the phrase itself. We would therefore like to carry out some more detailed focus group work to understand this better.

We asked where people would go to for advice if they had a health concern. We found that most people would use a search engine to find help. Some respondents indicated that they would contact their GP practice for advice, but not specifically to request an appointment.

It was also important for us to know if the campaign was successful, and if the messaging had made people think about the most appropriate place for them to visit. 57 per cent of people who responded to the survey in-person and 50.3 per cent who completed the survey online said the poster made them consider their health issue and the best place for treatment.

Some respondents said while they would aim to make a sensible choice about where to access help, the help was not always available. Other people told us the messaging had not made them reconsider where they access help as they already make sensible choices. A few people said they would always call their GP about health issues.

We wanted to know the reasons why people had attended UTCs and EDs for their illness or injury. 18 people said that they were unable to get an appointment with their GP practice. 11 people said their GP practice had advised them to attend.


What’s next:

The Stop Think Choose campaign has been running for three years to promote appropriate access during periods of pressure across the healthcare system in Kent and Medway. To help us plan the next steps of the campaign and understand where we might need to change messaging or adapt materials, we wanted to get the views of people using the service to further develop the campaign for next winter.

NHS Kent and Medway’s Communications and Engagement Team has reviewed the findings of the survey and will use the feedback to make the following improvements to the campaign:

• Increase awareness of the campaign at hospital sites through printed materials and digital screens.

• Review language about NHS pressures on the website to make it more patient focused.

• Review and test print resources with target audiences.

• Increase brand awareness through marketing approaches.

Thank you to everyone who participated.