News

Twitter @nhs launched

NHS England has launched https://twitter.com/nhs  A UK first, @NHS will see a different NHS patient or member of its 1.3 million staff become curator each week over a three month pilot and report first hand their experiences of the health service.

@NHS curators will have sole control of the account and will be able to share their thoughts and opinions and engage in conversations with anyone on Twitter.

Richard Orchard, @NHS’s first curator and current non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer patient at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust said: “It’s been an eventful time in my life being diagnosed with non-hodgkin’s lymphoma and I’m looking forward to sharing my journey with others for the week – with all its highs and lows! I hope some of my experiences with strike a chord with fellow cancer patients, to let them know they’re not alone in this.”

Rob Owers, Head of News & Government Partnerships at Twitter UK, said: “This is such a great initiative from the NHS. From patients to paramedics, the people taking control of the account will be sharing powerful stories and experiences that others will be able to relate to and empathise with.”