Part of the AWG group, Anglian Water is one of the leading water providers in the UK and serves the needs of around six million customers.
Anglian Water wanted to focus on the health benefits associated with drinking water the problems of dehydration.
Following an extensive research exercise, 3 key areas were identified; primary schools, secondary schools and residents in care.
Due in part to the success of Yorkshire Water's Cool Schools project and a better understanding of the importance of hydration to learning, many primary schools in East Anglia already had good water provision. The challenge was to support this with a marketing campaign that made the experience fun and fresh. Captain Splosh was born! Schools were offered branded mains fed water coolers at preferential rates, free installation, subsided 'Splosh' bottles and information packs. A special Water for Health section was developed on line with fun activities, games and downloaded resources for students and teachers. A larger than life size Captain Splosh visits schools on request to talk about the importance of good hydration. The campaign is endorsed by the National Healthy Schools Standard and School Food Trust.
Drinking water provision in secondary schools presented a unique set of problems ranging from financial and logistical to attitudional. In order to meet these challenges, we needed to win the support of teachers, students and parents. A group of pilot schools were selected and an advisory panel established to work with Anglian Water on some of the issues. Early research revealed that half of students surveyed were drinking no water at all during the school day, with the main barrier being poor provision and promotion.
The pilot schools test a variety of cooler models, refillable bottles and messaging that would engage across a wide range of attitudes and ages. We talked, listened and learned to produce a model that satisfied the practical requirements of a large secondary school, whilst creating a buzz around drinking water. Ultimately, it was the students themselves who branded the campaign, via our competition which was designed to fit into Design and Technology curriculum teaching. After the first 3 months of our pilot study, we found water consumption among students and teachers had increased, with many students noting an improvement in concentration, learning and health. The campaign is available to all regional secondary schools from June 2007. It has received the support of the School Food Trust and endorsement for the National Healthy Schools Standard.
A recent survey carried out by the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health found that most residents in care do not consume sufficient tap water to maintain a healthy level of hydration. Understanding and tackling dehydration in residential care for the elderly is a complex subject. Therefore, Anglian Water needed to approach the issue in partnership with experts in the field. We established a steering group to include the Royal Institute of Public Health, the Commission for Social Care Inspection, English Community Care Association, Water for Health Alliance and a variety of care providers including Methodist Homes for the Aged and Fourseasons Healthcare.
We commissioned a series of depth interviews with care staff and managers to gain insight into perceptions and practise among staff. The results were surprising; 50% of care staff in the region did not speak English as a first language and most cited informal peer to peer learning as their key source of education about hydration. In addition, a care home with installed water coolers and an active policy of good hydration had seen a reduction in falls of over 50%. Staff asked for information that was simple to understand and easy to access, as well as improved water provision.
With this knowledge, the steering group helped us select five care homes to pilot a range of measures which may improve hydration levels in residents. The study is over a 6 month period. Staff and residents groups are working with us on a range of measures to encourage good hydration. The impact of the trial will be assessed against indicators such as fall reduction, confusion levels and improvement in continence. Findings will be disseminated through steering group members to help develop practical solutions that organisations can adopt to combat dehydration and its devastating effects in elderly residents.