Meet the Team – Francesca ‘Chessie’ Hobbs
26 October 2023
Francesca Hobbs, LOCSU’s new Communications and Engagement Lead, has been known as Chessie since her earliest days, when her older brother struggled to say her full name. Perhaps this initial challenge is part of the reason that Chessie’s interest in clear and effective communication has grown to become the centre of her career.
Growing up in Devon in a family with four older brothers, Chessie’s career ambitions varied: “At one point I wanted to be a teacher – probably inspired by my mum who is a teacher,” she says. “Then I wanted to be a singer, although I can’t sing!”
Chessie embarked on a degree in journalism at the University of St Mark & St John, and quickly found that she enjoyed the variety offered in the communications-focused modules: “We studied public relations and graphic design alongside pure journalism and I realised that this mix was more interesting than pure writing all the time.”
This realisation meant that, on graduating, Chessie was looking for roles that allowed her variety, which led her to her first communications position on a project at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust. This opened up the world of healthcare and led to a permanent opportunity at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, now Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
All her roles to date have involved a broad mix of copywriting, media work and graphic design, as she explains: “The thing I like most about working in communications is how different it can be each day. One day you could be working on writing a press release and working with the media; the next you could be creating a video for social media or supporting the development of a website. You also get to work with a whole range of people – whether that’s people working in the organisation or members of the public or patients. You get to meet people from all different walks of life.”
Communications for Long-Term Change
One of the most satisfying projects Chessie has been involved with was a campaign aimed at recruiting mental health and learning disability nurses to the South West. During the project Chessie researched the reasons behind the shortage of people choosing to train for careers in this area and developed a campaign to address some of these. Part of the campaign involved webinars for anyone considering a career in the sector and Chessie was recently contacted by a student who attended the webinars to say that they were starting their degree in mental health nursing as a result of the campaign.
While recognition of the communications role has grown, it remains a challenging area to work in, particularly in healthcare, as Chessie explains: “There is such a wide range of messages that need to be shared, so it is important to be clear and compelling.”
The most important piece of advice Chessie offers for anyone working on a communication campaign is to: “put yourself in the other person’s shoes – I think this is a great piece of advice generally, but also from a communications perspective as it makes you question and think about the people receiving your comms. You need to step back and ask what their related concerns might be, what else is happening in their life right now, and what is the best medium to reach them so that they respond positively to what you are saying.”
Background research is also essential, so you are confident in delivering the message, notes Chessie: “You need to know what you are talking about and be prepared for questions, so you have the authority to own the message.”
When she’s not working on the complexities of a campaign, Chessie enjoys solving challenges of a different sort: “I love a whodunnit,” she says, “I drive my fiancé mad trying to guess the murderer in shows like Death In Paradise.” Luckily, fiancé James is very resilient, a quality that Chessie admires: “I think he’s the most resilient person I know, and he always encourages me to push myself as much as I can and try new things.”
Another important person in Chessie’s life is 18-month old Dalmatian puppy Toby, whose boundless energy keeps her busy. Fortunately, there is plenty of countryside in Devon where she lives, “To relax, I like to go for a walk on the beach or moors with my fiancé and dog, or spend time with friends and family,” says Chessie. Travelling is another passion, “my favourite destination is California, where James and I got engaged,” she smiles.
With a wedding to plan for 2025 and her new role at LOCSU, there’s no doubt that Chessie will have plenty to keep her occupied in the months ahead.