How an Apprenticeship Transformed Lauren’s Role in the NHS

In the fast-paced and dynamic environment of the NHS, effective communication is essential for engaging staff, delivering critical messages and supporting both clinical and administrative teams. For PR and communications professionals, this involves navigating sensitive topics, engaging a time-pressed workforce and balancing internal and public-facing messaging.

Lauren Gascoyne, a Communications and Engagement Project Officer at Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, felt the weight of these challenges. After six years in administrative roles, she transitioned to her current position but initially felt uncertain in her day-to-day work:

“I was self-taught, so felt impostor syndrome and lacked confidence at work. People asked me for advice, but I was just relying on what worked for me. I spoke with my manager about developing my skills with guidance from people who knew the industry inside and out.”

To build her confidence and skills, Lauren’s manager introduced her to The JGA Group’s PR & Communications Apprenticeship, which offered her the opportunity to develop confidence, expertise and gain a professional qualification.

Delivering Innovative Campaigns

A large part of the PR & Communications Apprenticeship is to encourage learners to take ownership of projects and lead on campaigns.

Lauren’s main campaign was to focussed on staff engagement with a large-scale internal survey; designed to measure digital confidence levels and explore staff preferences for digital communication platforms. The campaign also sought to recruit Digital Champions—individuals who would support colleagues in improving their digital skills.

A critical aspect of Lauren’s campaign involved pitching her ideas to senior leaders to secure their approval and support. This was a daunting experience at first, but it provided an opportunity for Lauren to showcase her passion and determination. As she explained:

Lauren Gascoyne

“I was nervous going into my pitch as I hadn’t done anything like this before and I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure it was a success. However, once I was in there I thought, ‘this is my campaign, I know it inside and out and I really want to make it work’. They all fed back that my passion and confidence in my work really showed.”

By presenting her ideas to senior leaders, Lauren secured buy-in for a creative, innovative approach that included using multiple platforms, external partnerships for prize donations and tailored outreach efforts. The campaign was a roaring success as Lauren explained:

“We went from 50 responses on previous surveys to 450—an 800% increase. That’s an extremely rare achievement for a staff survey in our trust. From the survey, we got 102 responses from staff wanting to become digital champions! We also learned much more about staff preferences. Before, I assumed traditional methods like posters would work, but actually from my survey results we found out that people do just prefer getting an email or watching a quick video.”

Having a better understanding of her audience provided valuable insights for Lauren’s follow-up campaign, which aimed to promote the Digital Champions Network. It doubled as her apprenticeship end Point assessment project and with such amazing results from the previous campaign, Lauren had full buy-in from senior leadership, they knew she would continue to drive meaningful engagement.

Developing Behaviours and Confidence

The apprenticeship not only equipped Lauren with practical tools but also helped her develop essential behaviours that transformed the way she approached her role. Reflecting on this, she shared: “The apprenticeship helped me evolve, not just in what I can do but also in my behaviour—like asking for support, creating project teams and mentoring others.” These behaviours allowed Lauren to work more collaboratively, build stronger relationships within her team and empower others by sharing her knowledge.

A key change was her confidence in seeking support and feedback from colleagues and senior leaders, whom she used to refine and improve her campaigns. For example, when managing her follow-up EPA project, Lauren proactively collaborated with internal colleagues to review her content and ensure its accuracy: “I was using my internal colleagues just to have a fresh pair of eyes over it to make sure that it was all right, checking my spelling and my grammar, things like that.”

Additionally, Lauren embraced a more structured and strategic approach to planning, using tools such as PESTLE analysis to account for external factors and platforms like Loomly to streamline her work. This enabled her to plan campaigns efficiently, adapt to fast-paced NHS environments and consider timing and audience needs in greater detail: “It’s second nature now to think about timing and external effects. Using things like PESTLE helped me figure out when’s the best time to do my pitch and my campaign, and how other external factors can affect its success.”

The apprenticeship also emphasised the importance of crisis planning—a behaviour Lauren identified as critical in the unpredictable NHS environment: “Crisis planning is absolutely vital, especially in the NHS, ‘because priorities can change at a very fast pace which can have an effect on communication workstreams and campaigns. So making sure that you are prepared for situations like that can really minimise the impact.” This preparedness and resilience helped Lauren manage challenges effectively, such as adjusting timelines when unforeseen circumstances arose, while ensuring her campaigns still achieved their objectives.

By focusing on these behaviours, Lauren not only enhanced her own capabilities but also contributed to fostering a supportive, collaborative culture within her team.

The Impact

Lauren’s apprenticeship has transformed her role and brought significant benefits to her organisation:

  • Adapting to NHS’s Needs: she tailored her communications to meet the NHS’s unique, fast-paced environment.
  • Driving Engagement: her innovative campaigns achieved record-breaking engagement levels, with an 800% increase in survey responses.
  • Ongoing Development: Lauren is now planning the next phase of her Digital Champions campaign, building on the lessons learned during her apprenticeship.
  • Personal Growth: the apprenticeship boosted Lauren’s confidence and capabilities: “I feel so much more confident in my knowledge and the skills that I’ve got for working in PR. But it’s also opened up a whole new world for me.”

Conclusion

Lauren’s story highlights the transformative impact of The JGA Group’s PR & Communications Apprenticeship. By combining tailored learning, practical tools, and expert guidance, the programme equips NHS professionals to thrive in a challenging environment. As Lauren reflected:

“The apprenticeship gave me the tools, confidence and ideas to succeed. It’s shown me how much of a difference I can make in the Trust.”

Lauren has been nominated by her colleagues for an Inclusive Recognition of Inspirational Staff Award. Her nomination reads: “Lauren is amazing, she is bright and friendly and extremely knowledgeable. She is always happy to help a colleague and is generous with expertise and skills. She has a fantastic way of leaving me (and others) feeling we can build on the knowledge she has taught us.”

“She is a really inspirational and kind member of the DCHS team and deserves to be recognised for the lovely, warm. caring and clever, friend and colleague she is.” Good luck Lauren!