Six lessons from the launch of Midland Metropolitan University Hospital
 | By Laura Broster, Director of Communications and Involvement, Black Country NHS Integrated Care Board |
Opening a new hospital isn’t just about cutting a ribbon, it’s about transforming healthcare for an entire community. That was especially true for the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH): a cutting-edge emergency healthcare facility that brings together two historic A&E departments into one state-of-art hospital – set to serve over 750,000 people across Sandwell and West Birmingham.
When I joined this programme in May 2024, it quickly became apparent that we weren’t just faced with opening a building, we were faced with the task of changing how people access urgent and emergency care, and helping a community navigate a whole new system. As an emergency hospital, most people won’t know they need MMUH until the moment they do. That meant we couldn’t rely on regular patient comms to spread the word. People needed to instinctively know where to go and when, from the moment we opened our doors on 6 October. And with the Board setting a definitive opening date in late August, we had just six weeks to make that happen.
We had to reach a huge audience across multiple platforms and languages, with messages that cut through – and we did! Our campaign reached 9.1 million impressions, driving awareness of MMUH from 84% to an incredible 98%. But more than just numbers, it worked where it mattered most: 92% of people who saw the campaign understood which NHS service to use in an emergency, and patient data backed it up, people showed up at the right place, at the right time.
So how did we do it? Here are six key insights that guided our approach and might help others facing a similar journey.
1. Let insights lead the way
Before we shared a single message, we listened.
We commissioned large scale independent quantitative research told us something unexpected: not as many people were planning to use MMUH as we’d expected. Many planned to keep using the hospitals they already knew, or thought were closest to them. This could have led to overload at other A&E departments and confusion around where to go. That insight changed everything.
Rather than just announcing the new hospital, we reframed the campaign around system usage: guiding people to the right care, at the right time, in the right place. That meant not only raising awareness of why to attend MMUH, but also providing clear guidance about when to use Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs), not just A&E.
Our insights also shaped our tone, highlighting MMUH’s clinical leadership, cutting-edge design, and patient-first ethos. Because what resonated with our audience wasn’t the scale of the build. It was the quality of the care.
2. Leverage internal support
Staff are the heartbeat of any hospital. But reaching them, especially when they’re spread across sites, shifts, and roles, takes more than emails and posters. That’s why we recruited Move and Induction Champions.
These were respected, well-networked colleagues from every part of the organisation, trained and empowered to be our eyes, ears and voice on the ground. They became essential to delivering timely, two-way communication between board and ward – translating complex updates into relatable, actionable information, and feeding valuable insights back up the chain.
During the activation phase, they were indispensable: helping colleagues navigate new systems, wayfinding, and expectations from day one. But to make it work, you must treat it seriously. Recognise the role, protect their time, and give them the space to do it well. Move Champions don’t just carry messages – they build trust. And in a moment of major change, that’s everything.
3. Build meaningful community connections
We couldn’t assume everyone would see a tweet or read a leaflet. In Sandwell alone, more than one in ten residents don’t speak English as their first language. So, we didn’t just adapt our content. We adapted our whole approach.
A branded minibus became our mobile hub, taking the message into the heart of our communities. Local ambassadors, from faith leaders and cultural groups to local shop owners, helped us meet people where they were, in ways that felt relevant to them. We also used geo-targeted digital ads in languages including Punjabi and Urdu, served by location to ensure cut-through.
This wasn’t just about pushing out information; it was about building connection and understanding in the places and languages that mattered most. By reaching people in the right way, through the right voices, we helped communities, especially those with limited internet access or non-English speakers, grasp the changes and understand service relocations in a way that made sense to them.
4. Bring in experts for targeted execution
This campaign had to be fast, flexible and geographically targeted – with different messages for different areas at different times. That level of complexity demanded specialist support.
So, we brought in experienced marketing agency Influential to design and deliver the mass population campaign. Their digital strategy allowed us to align messaging with the hospital’s three-stage opening, ensuring patients didn’t divert to MMUH too early and knew when their local A&Es were still operating. It gave us scale, but also precision – and it was absolutely the right call.
They helped segment audiences, tailor messages, and roll out geo-specific creative that spoke directly to local needs. And it worked. The results weren’t just impressive in numbers, they were critical in impact. Because getting this right wasn’t optional. It was essential to patient safety.
5. Keep stakeholders informed and invested
A move of this scale doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s built on years of support, from councils, contractors, clinicians, MPs and more, so we treated every stakeholder not as observers, but as partners.
We mapped our network early, established key contacts, and created a tailored communications approach, which included everything from monthly stakeholder newsletters to strategic briefings. We used this two-way communication positively identify, manage and mitigate risks. We also hosted a pre-opening celebration event bringing together everyone from local MPs, health leaders, architects and suppliers, giving them a real moment to connect with the vision they had helped create.
They weren’t just witnesses to our progress – they were our loudest advocates and their buy-in was crucial. When the doors opened, their support helped amplify every message.
6. Maximise media impact
The media can be one of your strongest allies if you involve them early, understand their needs, and give your media strategy the same attention as the rest of your campaign.
We kept journalists in the loop from the start, offering early updates and exclusive human-interest stories that made the project real and relatable. Access was carefully managed – from establishing “no-fly” operational zones to hosting a full media day before the move, complete with interviews, broadcast opportunities and behind-the-scenes tours that built anticipation and boosted public awareness.
We also shared curated footage via ITN to support national and regional syndication, helping us shape the narrative, showcase a seamless transition, and reinforce our commitment to openness and transparency. And it worked. ITV’s live coverage on opening day reached thousands, while local media ran heartwarming stories – from the last patient leaving City Hospital to the first babies born at MMUH.
With trade press, national outlets and community radio all on board, our story landed everywhere, because we made it easy for them to tell it. And the public response followed. In the first week alone, our social media channels reached nearly one million people organically.
The launch of Midland Metropolitan University Hospital was more than just a move, it was critical for patient safety in the region. Getting the message right was essential, and through strategic communication and community engagement, we ensured people knew where to go, when it mattered most.
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