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Staff and patients take charge of NHS Twitter account

NHS staff and patients take over the reins of the health service’s Twitter account from this week.
Richard Orchard

NHS staff and patients are taking over the reins of the health service’s Twitter account from this week.

The scheme will see a different staff member or patient manage the @NHS account every week to highlight the work that goes on in the health service in England.

The first person to take control is patient Richard Orchard, from Brentwood in Essex, who is being treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma at Queen's Hospital in Romford.

He wrote: ‘I’m the @NHS account’s first ever curator and I’m looking forward to sharing my journey with you for the week.

‘It’s been an eventful time since being diagnosed, I hope some of my experiences will strike a chord with fellow cancer patients.’


Richard Orchard. Picture: PA

Sharing experiences

Chief nursing officer for England Jane Cummings said: ‘This is a fantastic opportunity for our much-valued patients and NHS staff to hold a magnifying glass up to the system, so we can learn from their experiences, as we continue with our ambition to improve the way that care is delivered.’

Rob Owers, head of news and government partnerships at Twitter UK, said: ‘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.’

The account follows in the footsteps of @sweden and @ireland, which sees a different citizen take control of the government account each week.

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