Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Accepted
The NAO found that making changes at short notice in the fast-moving environment of the...
Conclusion
The NAO found that making changes at short notice in the fast-moving environment of the pandemic was inevitable, but the processes for communicating these changes to those responsible for implementing them, in advance of a public announcement, were not timely. Border Force officials, bodies representing carriers and regulators told the NAO that government often announced its decisions about changing travel measures late on a Friday for implementation by Monday, giving them little time to prepare or brief front- line staff responsible for implementing those measures. In some instances, they said they received no official notice ahead of public statements, despite details sometimes appearing in the media or on Twitter.20 We asked DfT whether it had given carriers enough notice of controls being introduced. DfT said that it recognised the operational challenges of giving carriers limited notice but said it had made announcements of changes to the traffic light system more regularly than changes to the previous travel corridor system, and typically sought to provide information about changes to the traffic light system six days in advance based on a regular three-week cycle of announcements.21 Departments told the NAO that they tried to provide more notice wherever possible while avoiding information leaking, which they considered would have had a negative public health impact. DfT acknowledged that it did not provide long-term transparency over why countries moved between the red, amber and green lists, which carriers needed to run their operations.22
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation and explains what it has learned about communicating with the public effectively and what it will do differently in the future, including key lessons learned for future cross-channel campaigns.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
3: PAC conclusion: Government’s failure to communicate the reasons for frequent changes to health measures made it hard for the public to understand and adhere to them. 3: PAC recommendation: The Cabinet Office should set out, as part of its report capturing lessons learned, what it has learned about communicating with the public effectively and what it will do differently in the future. 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 3.2 Communication was a critical lever for the government’s COVID-19 response. The cross-cutting national and international Public Information Campaign endeavoured to ensure that the public understood and followed the latest guidance, including border health measures in the UK and overseas. Key lessons learned for the future on communicating with the public through cross-channel campaigns include: • The evolving scientific understanding of the virus and how it spread required an agile approach to the public information campaign. • All communications were created through research and feedback sessions with the general public and key stakeholders such as local authorities, Directors of Public Health, local MPs and the transport sector. • Simple language rhyming mnemonics (‘Hands, Face, Space’) were used to group behaviours into core ideas to achieve greater impact. • Communications are significantly more effective in changing behaviours when mutually supported by policy advice and regulation. • A strategic communications and centralised insight programme can deliver regular reporting which avoids duplication, provides a single source of the truth, and valuable insight for policy-making. • Volume, clarity and timeliness of communications are essential considerations. Clear, simple and actionable messaging backed with evidence can boost public understanding and should be communicated across channels, including accessible formats. • Paid-for media can give an issue prominence and prime audiences en-masse or in a more targeted way. Creativity in messaging and media planning is crucial in achieving cut- through, particularly when there is audience fatigue. • Communicating through local, regional and national partners, including the private sector (e.g. transport operators), provides credibility, authenticity and relevance to audiences.