We Are The NHS, Then Now Always

Agency: NHS England

This is the story of how NHS England, the world's largest free-to-residents healthcare system, used an integrated multi-touchpoint campaign to successfully recruit the next generation of the NHS workforce.

As the world faced its greatest threat since World War Two in Covid-19 and the state of our nation's health continued to rely on the strength of our NHS workforce, safeguarding the future of the workforce had never been more critical. The scale of our task was immense.

'We are the NHS: Then, Now, Always' is an authentic, emotive statement of purpose, designed to create pride and confidence at every touchpoint; national confidence, in the future of the service, and individual confidence, in the ability to succeed in the face of the unknown.

Our campaign increased positive perceptions of NHS careers, confidence in the NHS' future, and our audience's belief that they could do the job. It saw over 105,000 CRM registrations (175% of target), 7063+ claimed applications (and counting), and an earned reach of over 23.9m people.

Critically, we have contributed to the largest ever uplift (+30%) in nursing and allied health professional degree applications.

This is not a short-term win. We are building a critical future legacy for the NHS workforce, saving millions of pounds in freelance costs which can be reinvested in what matters - getting more staff on the frontline.