UK COVID-19 Library

Outreach Examples

People are turning to the public sector for accurate information on the COVID-19 pandemic. To help you understand how your peers are answering that need, we’ve curated a small collection of communications on a variety of critical topics.

SCROLL DOWN

Bulletins

Staffordshire County Council

Broxtowe Borough Council

South Hams & West Devon Councils

Shropshire Council

Dedicated Webpages

for COVID-19 Comms

Dedicated Webpages

Municipality

Plymouth City Council

Municipality

Kirklees Council

State

Durham County Council

Need Help?

At Granicus, we’re helping government at all levels get the truth out and keep residents informed and safe. Connect with us to learn about digital tools and services available.

Federal

Aberdeen City Council

Municipality

Public Health England

County

Nottinghamshire County Council

Purpose: Provide residents with information on newly released national guidelines.

Best Practices Highlighted: The message reinforces previously sent guidelines. It also combats misinformation by providing links to credible, trusted sources residents can use for the latest updates. The photo promotes healthy behaviour without the addition of text.

Purpose: Provide event updates to the community.

Best Practices Highlighted: A regular bulletin proactively communicates to constituents whether markets and other events are still open. With proactive communication, residents do not have to search for desired information.

Purpose: Provide local business with guidance and resources to assist in their responses to COVID-19.

Best Practices Highlighted: Basic layout techniques like heading, colored backgrounds, and buttons to make it easy for readers to skim and find relevant information. A helpline at the end provides an additional touch point for residents with more questions.

Purpose: Encourage potential training attendees to stay home if they are not feeling well.

Best Practices Highlighted: The message is concise, highlighting specific recommendations on when to stay home. It also encourages subscribers to stay up to date by providing links for additional information.

Charnwood

Purpose: Inform residents about canceled events.

Best Practices Highlighted: The tone is sympathetic. The bulletin offers transparency by providing the reasoning for cancellations. The message also provides helpful links for residents looking for more information.

Purpose: Keep residents informed and updated.

Best Practices Highlighted: The bulletin creates empathy with the council, reassures residents, and highlights services affected or delays in responses.

Sheffield City Council

Purpose: Direct visitors to COVID-19 information.

Best Practices Highlighted: Information provided is simple. A comments section allows residents to ask questions. All questions asked have been answered. The page is updated to align with central government advice as it changes.

Purpose: Provide information and advice on council services.

Best Practices Highlighted: The page clearly indicates which council services are currently available, what may be subject to delays in response, and where the Council’s focus lies.

Purpose: Direct visitors to COVID-19 information.

Best Practices Highlighted: A highly visible callout on the homepage easily routes visitors to the correct page for COVID-19 information. That page aggregates the most important response information in one place.

Purpose: Provide information and advice.

Best Practices Highlighted: Information, like school closures and events, have been subdivided into sections for easy navigation. Users can select a section to expand or hide so they are not overwhelmed.

Purpose: Provides central government information and advice.

Best Practices Highlighted: Articles on various information around the virus are segmented for sneak peaks. The page is clearly separated into news stories, guidance, and press releases, for easy navigation.

Purpose: Provide information and advice.

Best Practices Highlighted: Bold boxes emphasise main points. A call to action encourages residents to sign up to health and wellbeing alerts. The page also provides helpful guides.

Purpose: Reassure businesses during the crisis.

Best Practices Highlighted: The bulletin is thorough, explaining how the government’s recent announcement affects business and when to expect more information.

East Hampshire

Purpose: Notify residents of closure to local services.

Best Practices Highlighted: The bulletin combats misinformation by providing links to central government information. It provides FAQs, reducing unnecessary contact with the council, and gives alternative solutions.

West Sussex

City of Bradford

Purpose: Provide update statement from Council leader.

Best Practices Highlighted: The bulletin highlights a link to subscribe to specific updates. The message reiterates central government messaging and provides clear and succinct advice.

Purpose: Update information and advice.

Best Practices Highlighted: The message is clear and succinct. It provides links to central government advice to combat misinformation. It provides simple updates on changes to council services.

Telford & Wrekin

See What Twitter Is Saying

Coronavirus Tweets from UK authorities

See What Twitter Is Saying

Services

Harrow Council

Purpose: Offer online access to request help via a hardship fund if residents have had financial difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Best Practices Highlighted: Clear call-to-action takes you to the online form where you can complete it. A phone line is provided, but not highlighted. An initial trap question ensures the resident is completing the correct form. If not, they are directed accordingly.

Purpose: Lets businesses offer their premises to help house and provide accommodation for workers during the pandemic.

Best Practices Highlighted: To avoid call centre traffic, or face-to-face visits, the council have provided this form entirely online. At the start of the form, they provide a clear personal data statement policy with a link to their privacy notice.

Lancashire County Council

Purpose: Appeal to closed business to donate their PPE for the medical needs shortage. Allow the public to donate money to provide care packages to the vulnerable.

Best Practices Highlighted: When donating money, payment integration runs on submission of the form and smoothly takes the customer to the council’s payment connector. The successful donation is confirmed with a message.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Purpose: Give businesses an online method to provide supplies and resources to help with coronavirus.

Best Practices Highlighted: Give businesses an online method to provide supplies and resources to help with coronavirus.

Woking Borough Council

Purpose: Accept online mental health referrals for parties worried about vulnerable people during the crisis.

Best Practices Highlighted: By breaking up the form into different sections, Coventry can capture more information from the referrer. Afterward, they receive an email summarising their referral.

Coventry City Council

Purpose: Connect those who need help with basic needs to those who can help — through the council and partners.

Best Practices Highlighted: East Riding uses govService workflow tools to allow requests to be logged and sent online securely to partners given special logins to access East Riding’s platform. Tasks are managed through the Dashboard.

East Riding Council

Kirklees Council

Purpose: Connect vulnerable children and key workers with support for childcare.

Best Practices Highlighted: This form was built quickly while adhering to the council’s style guidelines to ensure a smooth user experience.

Purpose: Help alleviate financial worries of residents affected by the virus through means tested reductions or payment plan reviews.

Best Practices Highlighted: The bulletin creates empathy with the council, reassures residents, and highlights services affected or delays in responses.

West Dunbartonshire Council

Durham County Council

Purpose: Offer virus-specific services to the public and businesses, including linking people with organisations, deliveries, mental health teams, and even dog walking.

Best Practices Highlighted: Durham have added a widget to the top of their Self portal to clearly display their four prominent COVID-19 forms. This reduces clicks needed for the public to access information and resources.

Purpose: Provide community support residents aged 70 and over.

Best Practices Highlighted: A side panel links to online forms so that the public can access them quickly. Because the target audience might not be adept online, residents can request help on behalf of others. The form follows council style guides for a smooth transition from the main website.

Waltham Forest Council

Purpose: Offer ability to apply for financial help by capturing information about the current work and financial situation of the household.

Best Practices Highlighted: A help box on the website notifies users of information they’ll need to complete the form, which is good practice when the customer needs to gather resources to complete it. They set expectations with a “What’s next” tab.

Essex Council

Services