Following last week’s post on which health service heads are on Twitter, the obvious next question is, what do NHS bosses talk about on the service?
Some use it for online debate – in this case, chewing over the apparently larger proportion of mental health trust chief executives tweeting:
Thanks to
@samathieson for tweeting bit.ly/O0rmxR. Wonder why mh CEs are more prolific in social media? More gobby/campaigning maybe?— Lisa Rodrigues (@LisaSaysThis) August 21, 2012
@markoneinfour Talking AND listening, Mark. It’s folk like you who’ve taught me this. Thank you ; – )) — Lisa Rodrigues (@LisaSaysThis) August 21, 2012
This amounted to a friendly discussion between commentators and a trust chief executive, but NHS bosses can also correct claims and respond to criticism:
@dwilliamshsj by the way, whilst we are not part of these statistics, there are 4 provider Trusts in the Coventry & Warks area, not 3.— Rachel Newson(@ChiefExecCWPT) August 21, 2012
@dwilliamshsj thank you. Turnover wise we are 2nd largest on the patch too. Busy keeping our communities well!— Rachel Newson(@ChiefExecCWPT) August 21, 2012
@dwilliamshsj not really, North Warks (GE) has some very deprived areas, as does Coventry, S. Warks generally affluent, but older population— Rachel Newson(@ChiefExecCWPT) August 21, 2012
Others use Twitter to comment on the news, such as Paul Roberts on the idea of international commercialisation of NHS trusts (which doesn’t apply to his Welsh board of course):
Media story on NHS brand sold abroad very small scale & not big deal.NHS working with charities in developing world more important IMHO
— Paul Roberts (@PaulRobertsNHS) August 21, 2012
Finally, what about the health service’s ultimate set of bosses, the politicians? Andrew Lansley is on Twitter – if you mean the LibDem councillor in Cheltenham rather than Westminster’s health secretary. Welsh health minister and co-owner of Wrexham AFC Lesley Griffiths has 1,300 followers, while Northern Irish health minister Edwin Poots appears to have tried Twitter then given it up. However, their Scottish counterpart Nicola Sturgeon is something of a Twitter star, with more than 17,000 followers. The SNP deputy first minister has recently used the account largely for retweeting and supporting what she’s presumably hoping will be Team GB’s final hurrah at the Olympics, at least with Scottish atheletes… and sometimes getting some stick for it:
@nicolasturgeon C’mon Nicola, you must be boaking into a bucket right now. C’mon, we can sing God Save The Queen together.#LongLiveTheUnion— Jim Sweeney (@JaySween) August 4, 2012