Vicky Burman | Editorial services for the public sector

My experience

I’m a former journalist and communications manager with 40 years’ experience in writing, editing and proofreading print and online content.

Before I started freelancing in 2001 I worked on newspapers and in the external and internal communications departments of national organisations, developing a wide range of skills, knowledge and good practices that enable me to offer reliable, effective and efficient editorial support to my clients.

Services I offer

I aim to provide clients with the level of editorial input they need. This could be:

• help to create written content from scratch, including advice on structure, tone and style, desk research and production of a first draft

• a heavy (or developmental) edit, pulling together and possibly rewriting and restructuring contributed copy and identifying additional information to create a meaningful narrative that's easy to navigate

• a copy edit and fact check to ensure draft content is clear, consistent, relevant and accurate

• a proofread to pick up any errors.

My clients appreciate my ability to:

• quickly get to grips with complex subjects and issues, including the broader context

• ask the right questions to understand fully the purpose of the material

• challenge assumptions and the use of terminology

• make guidance easily accessible and relevant to encourage behavioural change and compliance among the target audience

• handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately

• address underlying barriers to effective communication.

I also have a good reputation for reliability and meeting deadlines, even when work arrives at short notice or client timescales change.

Who I work for

I’ve worked with many government departments and agencies, NGOs, local authorities, NHS trusts and commissioners, regional and national health authorities, social care providers, professional standards and membership organisations, learning and development bodies, regulators, policymakers, think tanks and charities.

Recent clients:

• Equality and Human Rights Commission

• Epilepsy Nurses Association

• Greater Manchester Combined Authority

• Haremi (educational content provider)

• Health Education England (now merged with NHS England)

• Independent Office for Police Conduct

• Migraine Trust

• NHS Greater Manchester (formerly the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership)

• Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

• Public Policy Projects

• Society and College of Radiographers

Subjects I cover

Most of the topics I cover relate to public services, whether that’s the people who provide or use them or the way services are set up and run.

Here are a selection: Adult learning and skills │ Clinical development and new roles │ Clinical guidance │ Dementia and older people’s care │ Disability │ Equality, diversity and inclusion │ Health and safety │ Human rights │ Local authority and NHS management and commissioning │ Mental health │ Nursing │ Organisational development │ Policing and criminal justice │ Preventive and self-care │ Professional conduct and standards │ Public health │ Social, primary and community care.

Content I work on

I particularly enjoy dealing with potentially ‘dry’ official documents likely to face scrutiny and challenge, making them as relevant as possible to various audiences. I’ve written, edited and proofread:

• annual reports

• strategies

• policy documents and statements

• business and action plans

• research, evaluation and investigation reports

• consultation papers and responses

• briefing papers and online summaries

• codes of practice and standards

• findings from public inquiries

• career development and competence frameworks

• qualification specifications.

I also specialise in print and online content aimed at specific groups of service providers and users, including:

• guidance and tools for professionals (both managers and practitioners)

• internal communications, such as staff briefings and intranet pages

• public information

• patient advice

• journal articles and blogs

• websites

• case studies.

Continuing professional development

I continue to develop my skills and knowledge as an Advanced Professional Member of CIEP, attending conferences and webinars and undertaking training, such as CIEP courses on medical editing and making the most of Word in editing tasks.

I’m also a member of the Patient Information Forum (PIF) and National Union of Journalists (NUJ). This offers me an insight into wider aspects of public and health sector communications, and training and guidance in areas including:

• plain language

• health literacy

• behaviour change and health information

• data visualisation

• easy read documents

• inclusive language

• co-production.

Testimonials

“Vicky has carried out various writing and editing commissions for me - from scribing at conferences and producing comprehensive conference reports to proofreading and editing complex corporate documents. Vicky produces work of a consistently high standard and is a meticulous and rigorous proofreader.”

Loren Grant, communications and media relations consultant

“Vicky is a great editor and writer who can readily translate sensitive and complex information into a compelling story. Beyond great technical skills, she brings to the table positivity and a can-do approach.”

Head of communications, Independent Office of Police Conduct

“We always find Vicky’s work to be of a very high professional standard. She is a responsive and effective communicator from initial contact to completion of the work. She understands us as an organisation, our language and style, and that makes working with her a pleasure. Vicky’s impact on our work is always to make the final document better.”

Professional officer, Society of Radiographers

Get in touch with me and we can explore exactly what support you need.

• Editor
• Proofreader

• Allied health & nursing
• Business & finance
• Communications
• Education & training
• Health, fitness & wellness
• International relations
• Law & legal
• Medical & dental
• Public policy
• Social work

• Businesses
• Charities
• Communications agencies
• Editing agencies
• Educational institutions
• Government agencies
• Journal publishers
• NGOs
• Non-profit organisations
• Research institutions

• Copywriting
• Writing
• Business writing