CIPR Committee Health Member Spotlight

1. Name: James Field

2. Job title and company: Head of Regional Communications and Engagement, South East Wales

3. When did you join the committee? 2019

4. Why did you join? I wanted to give something back and to contribute to my profession and sector.

5. How long have you worked in health comms/PR? 8.5 years in health, but more than 30 in PR overall. 

6. Your new best friend knows nothing about health communications or PR, how do you describe your job to them – in ONE sentence? I work to explain and listen to people’s concerns as the NHS in South East Wales works to tackle waiting lists and provide better services.

7. 2025 predictions for health comms/PR? - 150 words max
The changes we’re witnessing in the English health and social care system will resonate across the UK, including the devolved nations. Wales goes to the polls next year for the Senedd elections, and the health and care policy space will be a key battleground.
 
On a practical front, I predict a continuing drive for efficiency that leads to greater use of AI tools to speed up content creation, data analysis and insight generation. We must address our own skills gaps and learn how tools and prompts can generate material at a fraction of the previous time and cost. But nothing is for nothing. Pay back will be in how we sustain quality, fairness and accuracy in what we publish. As the Edelman Public Trust Barometer shows, public trust is a diminishing commodity. We’ll have to work ever harder in 2025 to turn that tide for healthcare communications.