Southport MP John Pugh hits out at NHS plans to spend ã30m on Twitter and marketing
I've just spotted this story in which Southport MP John Pugh gets stuck into NHS North West for the ã30m that will be spent on marketing and Twitter over the next three years.
I know I have been a keen supporter of Twitter on this blog, but Dr Pugh is right to criticise this.
I understand that the NHS wants to communicate with patients, but does ã10m every year across the region really need to be spent on it?
This is what the Liberal Democrat MP had to say about it: "Blowing millions on marketing and Twitter is not how people want money spent.
"This amount of money could be spent on far better things than social networking and flashy websites. These do not make people better.
"Better standards of basic care in hospitals and reductions in health waiting lists are the biggest problems in the North West and these should be the priority.
"There is a real shortage of basic staff in every hospital - not surgeons or sophisticated doctors, but basic staff who need to be around when people just need ordinary types of care."
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David Bartlett
City editor of the Post and Echo covering politics, regeneration, and urban affairs.
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Without knowing the detail of what the ã10m p.a. would be used for I think it's difficult to dismiss entirely. Improved communications has the potential to prevent illness in the first place, help patients get the most oppropriate treatment and in doing so could even save money.
Can we get this into proportion? This works out at about ã1.40 per person. If this is successful and helps stop people becoming ill in the first place, or know where to turn to for advice, isn't that money well spent? Illness doesn't just cost the NHS, it costs industry and the economy as well. We read and hear stories every day about the need to encourage people to drink less, eat more sensibly, get themselves screened for diseases and so on - and social marketing is a good tool to educate people. It might not be as populist as spending money on frontline staff, but it's probably far more cost effective than, let's say, advertising in the Daily Post...
I dunno, if an NHS presence on Twitter is able to properly disseminate useful information through social networking sites - which should be possible if done properly - I'm not sure it's such a white elephant. Think how valuable some correct information on swine flu through Twitter could bel
I do say that, however, as someone who has profited from the NHS' largesse so there's certainly scope for keeping a tighter rein on community/marketing/PR finances.
Interesting piece on How-Do, critical of the way in which this story has been reported. Points out that social marketing is far more than twitter and facebook....
http://www.how-do.co.uk/north-west-media-news/north-west-marketing-services/criticism-mounts-of-nhs-social-marketing-drive%2c-fuelled-by-fleet-street-confusion-200907205913/