It is important to identify all the stakeholders that have an interest in the new initiative. Stakeholders have an interest in the new initiative, though they may not be able to influence it eg patients, unless directly invited to do so.

The project communication plan should clearly describe how and when each stakeholder group will be informed of any changes that effect them, these may be improvements in service, changes to processes and changes to values. A good example of this was the use of Private Health Care Hospitals for NHS patients. This signalled a change of perceived values for many patients and brought financial considerations of health care to the fore in a way that patients had not traditionally been invited to consider them.

The NHS takes communications very seriously. A quick search on the Internet shows conferences designed around Stakeholder Communications and high level Job Roles for those responsible for managing Stakeholder communications. You can find a good overview in the presentation  A practical Guide for the NHS: Stakeholder Engagement. 

Related Resources

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  Stakeholder Engagement - A Practical Guide for the NHS
  

  Powerpoint presentation that explains the value of working with stakeholders and, using case studies from the ISIP Local Health Communities Demonstrator Programme. It shows how consulting, listening and involving stakeholders has been key to the delivery of successful service transformation

  http://www.isip.nhs.uk/practical/PGstakeholder.ppt