Dr Foster Intelligence

Barnsley PCT’s Healthy Breathing Campaign short-listed 8 May 2008

The campaign was chosen as a finalist in the IDM Business Performance Awards Data Targeting category for work done in collaboration with Dr Foster Intelligence. The population in Barnsley has particularly high levels of COPD, partly a legacy from its coal mining past and the relatively high levels of smoking.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a debilitating condition which diminishes the quality of life for thousands of people, and COPD-related admissions alone cost the NHS in Barnsley £2.2 million between April 2006 and March 2007.

The PCT wanted to:

• Increase awareness of COPD and how to prevent or cope with the condition, among those at risk in the Barnsley area.
• Encourage them to take action to reduce the incidence and effects of COPD.
• Reduce the number of unnecessary COPD-related hospital admissions in the long term.
• Reach as many people at risk of COPD as possible – above the 2.5% current reported prevalence among the population of 224,600.

Dr Foster Intelligence was asked to identify, then communicate with, those groups at greatest risk of COPD. A local poster campaign was used to raise awareness, and then a telemarketing campaign was used to contact more than 7,000 households. In a typical telemarketing campaign, the usual response rate is 5.78 per cent (DMA 2006). By contrast, the Barnsley campaign achieved a response rate of 88.1 per cent. In addition, out of 1,435 households with a smoker, there were 1,264 requests for a stop-smoking pack – a conversion rate of 88.08 per cent. Three hundred and fourteen smokers also asked to be contacted directly by the stop smoking services.

The campaign’s success has inspired the PCT to use the same principles of research and targeted communication to launch a new programme aimed at reducing inappropriate use of A&E.

The winners of the IDM Business Performance awards will be announced at the end of May.

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