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Chapter 7
Communication with Stakeholders
KEY FINDINGS
7.1 The overall view of stakeholders was that communications during 2007 had been handled effectively by the Scottish Government. The communications strategy was good and a major improvement since 2001. The Stakeholder Group worked well as specific issues could be discussed in the margins. Meetings were well structured. Ministerial input was valued and the active role which the Cabinet Secretary adopted in dealing with stakeholders was well received. The mix of e-mail, text updates, and meetings with teleconferencing facilities worked well. In particular, e-mails proved to be a good way of getting information out to a blanket group instantaneously. The website was good and the text messaging system which alerted stakeholders to updates on the Scottish Government site was useful. In spite of this there are still lessons to be learned and improvements to be made which include:
- continued development of the communications strategy;
- improve the representation, and facilities for the stakeholder meetings;
- consider methods of reaching all stakeholders, groups and individuals;
- increased development and use of modern technology to improve communications.
COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
7.2 The importance of stakeholder relationships was highlighted after the 2001 FMD outbreak. The Scottish Executive response to the FMD inquiries emphasised the important role that stakeholders have in the ongoing development of animal health and welfare policy. In 2003 a Communications Strategy was produced as part of contingency planning arrangements for dealing with exotic animal disease. This indicated that the lead role in communications would be taken by the Scottish Executive working in close partnership with the stakeholders and operational partners.
7.3 Whilst the Strategy provided an effective plan a number of improvements were identified following the avian influenza and Newcastle disease outbreaks in Scotland during 2006. As a consequence the Scottish Executive commissioned Barkers Public Relations to devise a communications strategy fit for use during any animal disease outbreak. Stakeholders were consulted and the Barkers report was presented in April 2007. The report concluded that the Strategy was basically sound and fit for purpose and that rather than a full redraft of the Strategy the current version should be amended and updated.
7.4 Their report entitled "Exotic Disease Stakeholder Consultation Report" contained 27 recommendations of which 14 were high, 11 medium and 2 low priorities. A number of areas needed amending for reasons linked to resources, availability of new technology, and the need to communicate with some smaller groups. The report also identified a number of areas which had not been implemented during the 2006 avian disease outbreaks. The recommendations had not been incorporated into the Communications Strategy prior to the 2007 FMD outbreak nor had the report been circulated to stakeholders for discussion. However, many of the recommendations were implemented administratively and were in place during the 2007 outbreak. It is important that the recommendations in the Barkers report and in this report should be incorporated into a revised and updated Communications Strategy which should be circulated to all stakeholders for discussion and agreement.
7.5 Stakeholders played a vital role in transferring information to their members and developed a number of different communication strategies for achieving this. In some cases these were considered by stakeholders to be more effective or complementary to those of the Scottish Government. A number of stakeholders felt that it would be a sensible approach to develop a more integrated Scottish communications strategy using their resources as well as those of the Scottish Government while avoiding duplication of effort. In doing this it would be important to clearly identify the potential for using stakeholder communication channels and to define their roles in an outbreak.
Recommendation 44: The Scottish Government must update their Communications Strategy for exotic diseases incorporating the recommendations of the Barkers report, the relevant lessons learned in this report and agree the revised Strategy with all stakeholders. Areas where joint action with stakeholders is practical should be developed and incorporated into the Strategy. (High Priority)
STAKEHOLDERS
Stakeholder Group
7.6 There was some concern that the size of the Stakeholder Group was possibly too big for effective discussion. Others considered that stakeholder membership was about right with the wide mix of representation playing an important role in bringing together a diverse set of representatives covering a range of issues. The value of Animal Health agency sitting on this group was recognised and it was considered helpful if the MHS was also regularly represented.
7.7 One popular solution to keeping the group manageable and effective was to limit the number of representatives from each body. This would depend on the importance of the organisation involved, its role and the topic under discussion. On balance the number of organisations represented on the Stakeholder Group was considered to be about right but the number of representatives per organisation should be limited to two in the majority of cases to ensure manageable numbers.
Stakeholder meetings
7.8 Under normal circumstances the AHW Stakeholder Group meets approximately every quarter. After confirmation of FMD the first stakeholder meeting was held the next day. Meetings were then held on an ad-hoc basis but at least weekly with membership based on the standing AHW Stakeholder Group. Other interests were invited to attend as required.
7.9 Stakeholder meetings were considered by all to be very useful but it will be important in the light of the 2007 outbreak to define exactly what function the full stakeholder meetings perform. Stakeholder meetings were more for liaison, information gathering and onward dissemination rather than for decision making but they did give the stakeholders the opportunity to contribute and explain their position. Towards the end of the outbreak meetings were primarily for communications only. While this is a two way process between Government and stakeholders, the former may need to show more awareness of the issues on the ground. E.g. animal welfare issues that arise through overstocking when movements are not permitted.
7.10 Bi-lateral meetings were also held between government and various stakeholders on a range of issues. In some situations pre-stakeholder meetings took place which allowed industry expertise to be shared and help frame discussion. Industry also found it useful to get together ahead of stakeholder meetings to discuss specific issues and agree what lines to take. Stakeholders found the veterinary and policy presentations given at the meetings to be very helpful in explaining the disease situation and the rational for the control measures. A number of stakeholders felt it would have been helpful to have electronic copies of the presentations for use with their own members.
7.11 Stakeholders appreciated the presence of the Cabinet Secretary who chaired the meetings as it demonstrated his commitment to resolving the problems. In addition it lent weight to the Stakeholder Group and gave stakeholders the opportunity to air their concerns directly with him as well as raising matters of importance about the outbreak.
Recommendation 45: The Scottish Government should work with stakeholders to define the precise role and membership of the Stakeholder Group during an outbreak of FMD or other notifiable disease. This should include the practicality of establishing small sub-groups with relevant industry bodies where specialist expertise is required to discuss specific issues. (Medium Priority)
Meeting facilities
7.12 Teleconferencing was a practical option especially for the smaller stakeholder organisations based some distance from Edinburgh. Although a good idea, there were constraints especially for the larger stakeholder meetings where it was difficult for external participants to hear everything that was said due to the limitations of the microphones. There was also concern that teleconferencing was satisfactory for obtaining information but not particularly conducive to holding a discussion. Better facilities for dial-in to meetings either through video or telephone conferencing are needed. Management of the meetings can also be improved by having an awareness of microphones and remembering to introduce external speakers.
Recommendation 46: The Scottish Government should make better use of teleconferencing and develop the facility by obtaining improved and more effective equipment. Videoconferencing facilities should be developed for use by key stakeholders. (Low Priority)
COMMUNICATION METHODS
Introduction
7.13 A priority for good communication is to ensure that all stakeholders receive first hand information as quickly as possible from the Scottish Government rather than through the media. During the 2007 outbreak the Scottish Government followed their Communication Strategy closely and provided a quick response through a number of different communication methods. In terms of obtaining information, the Scottish Government website was found to be a helpful source of information while their e-mail communications were preferred to texts.
7.14 A variety of methods were used to pass information to stakeholders and on to their members including websites, e-mails, text messages, news releases, factual based business guide updates and a round the clock helpline. NFU Scotland found text messaging and email alerts a good means of communicating with their members and would adopt this from day one in the future. The Scottish Government text system was also thought to be useful but messages could have gone out quicker. Information from stakeholder meetings was incorporated by a number of organisations into their website updates or weekly e-newsletter.
7.15 Stakeholders put a lot of effort into co-ordinating communications and most had their own websites. There was some concern that the information disseminated by stakeholders to members was not always entirely consistent and was failing to reach the entire farming community. At one point an e-mail was issued to stakeholders encouraging them to co-ordinate information to their members. This was done to encourage the dissemination of important information but primarily to try and reduce the huge call volume being experienced by many of the senior officials in the Scottish Government.
7.16 Communications were especially good for those who were members of stakeholder organisations but for others there were gaps in the information. A key difficulty was that in order to receive information it was often necessary to have internet access and an e-mail account. More thought should be given to the anticipated recipient of communications as many farmers do not have internet access and are largely dependant on the agricultural press and television for information. Post is a good option to reach most farmers. The 'Dear Producer' letters from the Cabinet Secretary were appreciated and the fact that they were more frequent than in 2001 helped to keep people better informed as they explained the 'why' as well as the 'what'. More of these letters would have been appreciated by some of the stakeholders. The Scottish Government and industry needs to consider how to reach farmers who do not have internet access and are not members of a stakeholder organisation.
Helpline
7.17 A Scottish Government helpline was established on 4 th August led by Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate ( RPID). The Scottish Government Strategy Unit provided a Key Brief which was updated daily and used by helpline staff, among others, as the core script to ensure consistency when disseminating information. Helpline staff also received daily briefings. The helpline was of considerable importance as it had a dual function to provide assistance to farmers and others with queries but also to gather intelligence on developing problems. The helpline calls were monitored and the key issues arising which highlighted pressure points and potential developing problems were referred to the daily DSG meetings for action. The Key Briefing document was circulated for internal use to helpline staff and others and included information tailored for public consumption which was placed on the website.
Websites
7.18 The official FMD website was installed on 4 th August. During the outbreak there were picture links taking users from the Scottish Government homepage or the Agricultural homepage into the FMD section. The website contained a range of information from details of the disease, the outbreak, biosecurity guidance, movement restrictions and the movement licences. It was noted that farmers found the Scottish Government website useful although there were a number of comments about the difficulty in navigation around the site. The NFU Scotland website was also a good source of information as was the Defra website. The Scottish Government website was particularly good for downloading movement licences. The majority of stakeholders had their own websites and in most cases provided links to the Scottish Government website and the FMD section in particular. In some case the smaller organisations would appreciate help from the Scottish Government to populate their websites during a disease outbreak.
Other
7.19 E-mail: Most organisations received the daily e-mail updates from the Scottish Government. These were considered to be valuable and were generally forwarded on to their members. In some of the organizations 60-70% of members would receive the emails.
7.20 Text alerts: A text messaging service for the general public was launched in August which gave people the opportunity to sign up to the system in order to receive regular text updates. This alert system was a useful means of informing groups or individuals when information such as licence conditions had been modified. Messages were sent to advertise the bigger announcements but the service was restricted in so far as there was a 160 character limit on messages. The text messages were a useful way to signpost stakeholders to more detailed e-mails or web information. The text facility helped to capture those not on-line and was particularly useful way of reaching drivers who were out on the road and needed to know about licence changes. It was also a useful innovation as mobile phone use is almost universal among farmers. However stakeholders commented that on occasions the text updates issued by the Scottish Government arrived later than those from the NFU Scotland who got the message out first. A text messaging service specifically for stakeholders was also launched in August in order to give group members notice of upcoming meetings.
Media
7.21 As Scotland has dedicated agricultural correspondents there was scope for briefing them and for passing information to farmers and the public via the press. There was a general feeling that whilst the Scottish Government News Releases were useful there was more and clearer information from the NFU Scotland which released some 111 News Releases.
7.22 Key tasks for the Rural Affairs and Environment Communications Team included drafting News Releases and also providing more specialist briefing to the agricultural press. Information was going out virtually on a daily basis, with the overriding message that relaxations were being made wherever it was judged safe to do so. News Releases are broad formal releases and sent to a ready list of recipients before being placed on the Scottish Government website. Ministerial Statements have the same process of approval but might arise where there is immediacy and might then be followed by a more detailed News Release.
7.23 There was however a feeling that the Scottish Government Press Office suffered from being geographically remote from the policy areas which they cover. During a disease situation, if not more regularly, Communications Officers should be embedded with the policy teams. As an ongoing issue, more continuity in staffing arrangements at the Communication Office would also be helpful in terms of maintaining a knowledge base. Any staff changes in the Communication Office should be staggered to avoid the departure and arrival of whole new teams.
Recommendation 47: Scottish Government should continue to work with stakeholders to use a range of communications and to develop cost effective communication methods to ensure maximum distribution of information that meets the needs of all stakeholders, groups and individuals in the event of an outbreak. (Medium Priority)
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