Social Media Community Standards
We use social media to share updates and listen to your feedback. By engaging with our social media channels you agree to the following guidelines:
What to expect from us
- We’ll confirm it’s us. If you see NHS Somerset account online, you can check it is us. We list out social media accounts on our website here: www.nhssomersert.nhs.uk . Accounts will be clearly marked as official NHS Somerset profiles.
- We’ll listen. Your comments are seen by our Social Media team. We’ll read all messages and pass on concerns where possible to the right teams. For health concerns, contact your GP or NHS 111.
- We're not 24/7. Accounts are monitored during working hours, stated in our bios.
- We’ll be human and polite. We’ll treat each message with the politeness you’d expect if you were dealing with us face-to-face or in person.
- We follow to stay informed. A follow doesn’t equal endorsement.
In return, we'd like you to remember:
- Respect goes both ways. Do remember that we’re human, and the person monitoring the social media account is only trying to help. Please be polite and civil.
- We do not tolerate anti-social behaviour or abuse online or offline. This includes swearing, threats or abuse, obscenity, hate speech, sexism, racism and defamatory attacks.
- No misinformation. Posts that are false, misleading, inaccurate or harmful regardless of intent will be removed. There is a useful guide for anyone concerned about understanding if information is false: Misinformation-UnMASKED-checklist.pdf
- Personal attacks are not acceptable. If you have a complaint to make against an individual, please raise your concerns officially through the right channels here: Complaints - NHS Somerset ICB and Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) - NHS Somerset ICB
- No spam or advertisements. Our social media channels and posts aren’t the place for followers to advertise services, blogs, products, memes, off-topic content etc. Making the same points over and over, otherwise known as spamming will not be helpful for resolving problems. In this case we’d suggest making a complaint or contacting us another way so you can be directed to the right team.
- Protect your privacy. Be careful not to share private information about yourself or others on our posts.
What happens if these rules are broken?
We reserve the right to delete offending content and if necessary, block you from contacting us via that route. In extreme cases we also reserve the right to take screenshots as evidence and contact the police if deemed appropriate. You will still be able to contact NHS Somerset if you need to here: Contact Us - NHS Somerset ICB
If you have questions or concerns, please contact somicb.communications@nhs.net
