The NHS is known for providing exceptional oncology care, which means that it can be difficult for private centres to compete with NHS cancer services. There are many marketing challenges for private cancer centres, but the key one is trying to make sure that they don’t convince patients that private is better clinically. Marketing private centres to compete with the NHS should focus on clearly communicating the specific and real differences that matter most to patients who are considering the options. This needs to be done with care because these patients are trying to make the best decision for themselves at one of the most difficult times of their lives.
What patients actually think about when considering private oncology
Before you begin marketing your private centre, you need to understand why patients choose private oncology and what their thought process is when considering going private. There are numerous reasons why a patient may want to go private, but when they think about going to a private centre, they’re never really making a judgement about the quality of the NHS treatment. Instead, they’re thinking about it based on their personal circumstances. Common reasons include waiting times, the desire for a known, individual consultant throughout their treatment, access to a specific technology that isn’t available on the NHS or the environment and support services that come with private clinics.
Getting to grips with these motivations is a good starting point to differentiate your private oncology marketing. Try to avoid general claims with this, like “excellent care”, because these don’t convert patients who are trying to look for specific factors to help them make the decision of choosing to go private. To encourage them to choose you, it’s best to create marketing that uses clear and specific communications that address waiting times, technology access, the consultants being the same throughout the process and your care environment, as this answers their specific questions.
Speed of access is the most significant differentiator for many patients
One of the key private cancer centre advantages in the UK is how quickly patients can access their treatments. NHS waiting times for oncology referrals, diagnosis and treatment can be weeks or even months, depending on the cancer type and the capacity of local services. Patients who have a diagnosis that needs quick treatment or those who find the uncertainty of waiting difficult, choosing private care is a huge benefit.
When making claims about quick treatment for your centre, you need to be accurate. If you claim that the first appointment is within 48 hours, then you must be able to deliver on that promise. It’s very important to only make realistic claims because the ASA has taken on complaints about private healthcare waiting times that didn’t reflect reality, meaning that if you make unrealistic claims, you can get in trouble legally. Make sure that you always make accurate speed claims with appropriate warnings as a way to make your centre different.
Communicating specific capabilities for technology
For private oncology vs NHS marketing, a key differentiator is the specific capabilities for technology that private centres have. Some oncology centres offer access to unique treatment technologies that aren’t widely available through the NHS. They can provide proton beam therapy, MRI-guided radiotherapy and particular immunotherapy protocols, which patients can make full use of before they’re even offered in the NHS.
If your centre has unique technology that is limited in the NHS, you can use marketing to clearly show the technology you have. This should focus on explaining what the technology is, what conditions it can be used for and what the benefit to the patient is. All marketing that explains your technology needs to be in plain language and easy to understand for patients to know what makes you different. Doing this also helps patients fully understand your technology because someone who’s just received a cancer diagnosis isn’t in a position to delve into the technical radiotherapy specifications. They just need straightforward advantages and what the technology means for their treatment experience and outcomes.
Patients considering private oncology don’t evaluate technology on technical merit. They want to know whether this is relevant to my cancer? Is it available to me? Will it help? The website and the oncology team need to answer those questions together.
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