Finalist
More Than a Cold
Summary of work
Bronchiolitis is an extremely common lung infection affecting one in three babies before their first birthday. Although in most cases symptoms will resemble the common cold, bronchiolitis can cause severe breathing difficulties and is the most common cause of emergency hospital admissions for infants. Around 30,000 babies are hospitalised each year, and almost half of paediatricians’ time is taken up during winter by cases of bronchiolitis, creating a significant emotional burden for families and NHS resources.
More Than a Cold was first launched in the UK in 2011. The campaign’s primary focus is to drive awareness of bronchiolitis among parents, particularly those with vulnerable babies. The campaign also aims to drive belief in the burden of bronchiolitis and the need for a more effective bronchiolitis management strategy, including prevention methods in the NHS. www.morethancold.co.uk provides information on signs and symptoms of bronchiolitis and ways to reduce risk, helping empower parents to take action. A patient awareness campaign was undertaken in 2014 and 2015 which increased awareness of bronchiolitis among the target audience by 7%, encouraging parents to look out for signs and symptoms of bronchiolitis, as well as taking measures to prevent development of the condition.
Judges’ comments
This was a clear, simple and solid programme, focusing on a specific audience and was the 2015 push to an existing, sustainable campaign. Whilst not particularly complex or creative, it was so hard-working with good use of digital reporting, patient bloggers and links to patient groups that ensured delivery of a much-needed boost that was good to see.
