Healing Our NHS: How Storytelling Can Improve Staff Engagement

The new government wasted no time making headlines regarding the NHS. The Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, announced plans to abolish NHS England. However, for many of NHS staff, most heard this news via the media, rather than from their managers or through internal communications.

When an organisation, or even a whole sector, is going through change, communication to staff must come first, and it must come from inside the organisation. Failing to prepare or inform staff risks an increase in mistrust, anxiety, and disengagement. In a time when staff wellbeing and retention are already under strain, this matters.

Some NHS staff welcome transformation as an opportunity to address long-standing issues. But for many, change brings more uncertainty. Ongoing disputes over fair pay, understaffing, and long waiting lists for patients all contribute to low morale. The NHS Staff Survey consistently highlights that staff want to feel heard, respected, and valued.

Why staff engagement matters to patient care

The 2024 NHS Staff Survey reveals some of the problems:

• 30% report feeling burnt out ‘often’ or ‘all the time’
• Only 34% believe there are enough staff to do their jobs properly
• 47% feel able to manage conflicting demands
• Just 54% look forward to going to work

Nearly half a million NHS staff regularly experience the symptoms of burnout.

The report: How to transform UK healthcare environments to support doctors and medical students to care for patients, by Professor Michael West and Dame Denise Coia, highlights how staff burnout, stress, and excessive workloads are associated not only with a decline in care quality, but also with rising staff turnover and greater risks to patient safety.

What role can storytelling play?

We’re introduced to stories as babies, from bedtime stories to the films we love. Most stories follow a familiar format: an introduction, a conflict, and a resolution. As humans, we’re wired to respond to this structure and when parts of the story are missing, we fill in the gaps. That’s why, in times of uncertainty, if leaders don’t offer a clear story, misinformation and mistrust can quickly rise and spread across an organisation. Especially in a time where people consume most of their news via social media where misinformation and fake news is on the rise.

Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio’s research shows that people make decisions more through emotion than logic. Storytelling taps into emotion, making messages resonate and prompt action.

Effective storytelling remains a critical communication and engagement tool, particularly useful within the NHS. Leadership at all levels must understand and invest in the value of communication to facilitate and deliver storytelling to improve staff engagement and morale.

Some leaders may initially dismiss storytelling and something not always taken seriously, but we must challenge that perception.

Remember, this doesn’t only work in public sector organisations; Nike renamed its senior executives as ‘corporate storytellers.

Building trust through storytelling

Good storytelling combines emotion, credibility, and logic. Aristotle’s The Art of Rhetoric: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos introduced us to persuasive communication over 2,000 years ago with his principles.

In practice, NHS staff are more likely to trust colleagues (Ethos: those who are credible), than senior managers or external spokespeople. For example, a community nurse sharing how she helped a patient with autism self-administer insulin will evoke a more emotional connection than a line manager simply relaying that result.

When staff share stories about positive outcomes, compassionate care, or lived experience, it can build shared purpose and demonstrate value (pathos), while also making logical outcomes feel real (logos). Used together, this can persuade and influence action, a vital ingredient for engagement during change.

Stories and persuasion

James E. Grunig’s Excellence Theory reminds us that great communication isn’t just about persuasion; it’s about mutual understanding and respect. His two-way symmetrical model encourages communication between organisations and their publics. That’s essential in the NHS, where top-down messaging alone won’t be enough to engage, inspire, and drive action. Listening to patients with lived-experience also features in the new Government’s 10-year Health Plan.

But persuasion still matters, especially when we’re asking people to change behaviours or embrace transformation. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986) offers a useful framework. We either engage through a central route (logic) or a peripheral route (emotion). A good story uses both. For example, if we want to reduce unnecessary medication prescribing, we could show data and explain the logic (central). But if we also share a story of the negative impacts on a patient by overprescribing, and how a clinician made a change to improve their outcome, we connect emotionally (peripheral). This is what persuades people to change and act.

Narratives and Stories

Paul Smith’s CAR Framework for storytelling (Context, Action, Result), offers a practical and accessible structure for constructing impactful stories. In this framework, stories begin by setting the scene (context), explaining what was done (action), and concluding with the outcome (result). This model works especially well in internal communications and leadership engagement, where staff need to understand not just what decisions were made, but why and what impact they had. A story using CAR can be more motivating and memorable than a PowerPoint presentation describing only the results or only the action.

An alternative take on storytelling comes from storytelling expert David Boje, who highlights the difference between organisational narratives (stories we tell about the past) and antinarratives (parts of stories that are still forming). These antinarratives often start at the front-line, where challenges or opportunities are realised, and can come from conversations with colleagues, patients, carers, or partner organisations.

In the NHS, we often celebrate success stories such as award wins, service launches, and project completions. But we should be encouraged to share stories that are at the beginning, too. By inviting staff to share their real experiences, we gain insight into the beating heart of the organisation and create space for learning and listening, progression and change.

Stories in a crisis

During crises or large-scale change, people don’t just want facts; they want meaning. Communications theorist Michael Kent introduced the idea of “master plots”, familiar story formats like the hero’s journey, which help people make sense of the world.

In the NHS, we can use these to structure stories of challenge and change. For example:

• The challenge: Staff morale is low, and turnover is high
• The journey: A working group of staff and leaders co-design new support resources
• The heroes: Staff who speak up, share stories, and drive improvement
• The resolution: A more engaged, stable workforce

Making storytelling part of the culture

To fully harness the power of storytelling, organisations must do more than encourage people to “tell their story.” They must create the conditions in which storytelling thrives, psychological safety, time for reflection, platforms for sharing, and leadership that models openness, through webinars or regular blogs/vlogs. Communication professionals should be trained in storytelling techniques, and storytelling should be embedded into change programmes, onboarding processes, and leadership development.

In summary, communication and storytelling are strategic necessities. In times of change, stories can connect people to the organisation’s purpose, translate corporate objectives into human experience and action, and build the trust needed to move forward. Whether in the NHS, public or private organisation, the future of effective communication lies not in what we tell people to do, but in the stories we share to help them see why it matters.

Whether in the NHS, public or private organisation, the future of effective communication lies not in what we tell people to do, but in the stories we share to help them see why it matters.

*While this article focuses on NHS staff, the communication and engagement principles explored here are relevant to any organisation experiencing change or low morale. In the NHS, ongoing financial pressures often lead to staff shortages, increased workloads, and recruitment freezes, all of which reduce morale and increase burnout. In the NHS, this could impact on patient care and safety. Similarly, in the private sector, rising costs can lead to cuts in training or development, poor staff engagement, and performance. In all sectors, clear communication plays a crucial role in maintaining trust, motivation, and a shared sense of purpose.

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Candice’s perspective on studying for the CIPR Professional PR Diploma 

Candice prepared this article for a CIPR Professional Diploma assignment while studying with PR Academy.

What do you see as the key benefits of studying the CIPR Professional PR Diploma?

Although I have been doing my job for a long time, I have not had the opportunity to undertake formal PR education. Studying for the Professional PR Diploma has been a game-changer for me. It has absolutely deepened my understanding of PR strategy, planning, and evaluation and made me look at models and theories that I would not have made time to do so before. My ability to manage crisis comms, internal engagement, and stakeholder relationships has become stronger, as well as my confidence to challenge and bring ideas to the table. As a result of my diploma studies, I have become a more ethical, considered and reflective professional.

What has been your favourite part of the course so far?

It’s been challenging juggling work, study, and home life—but well worth it. I hadn’t had to think in an ‘academic’ way for a long time, and this experience has stretched me in all the right ways. As a result, I’ve learned to think and act more strategically, and I now have the confidence to do so, particularly when advising senior leaders or shaping organisational narratives.
I’ve found myself taking more time to explore evidence and insight before moving into action. I’ve especially enjoyed looking into the ethical side of PR, internal communications, and stakeholder engagement, as it aligns with my personal belief in a people-first approach to communications.

Have you been able to apply any of the learning, and if so, how?

Absolutely! I am introducing new internal comms channels and frameworks that better support staff wellbeing and feedback. I’m also encouraging colleagues to adopt more considered, ethical and transparent communication—regardless of the message. Thanks to the research and evaluation methods I’ve learned, I’m now building strategic campaigns with greater foresight and purpose.

About the CIPR Professional PR Diploma 

The PR Diploma is a Master’s level qualification for more experienced practitioners who are looking to underpin what they do with theory and contemporary models.  Topics include PR strategy and planning, content management, media and engagement, measurement and evaluation, and PR leadership and process improvement. 

You have two years to complete it but with PR Academy you set your own study pace and many students finish in about ten months. 

Read our Complete Guide to CIPR Qualifications