#NHSSM #HWBlearn can you help shape some key social media guidelines?

You may not know this but there’s a corner of local government that’s has a major say in decisions that will affect how your family is treated when they are not well.

They’re called health and wellbeing boards and while they meet at Town Halls they cover the intersection between GPs, local authorities and patients groups.

They also have a say on spending worth £3.8 billion – an eye watering sum in anyone’s book.

The LGA themselves say:

“Health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) are crucial part of the new health landscape, the drivers of local system leadership and will provide an unprecedented opportunity to bring together local government and health services together to improve health and wellbeing outcomes. Local system leadership is required to ensure that the totality of public resources are brought together to address shared priorities for health improvement.”

Okay, so what?

Well, many of them do great work but there’s a growing feeling that they could do better to use social media to really engage with the communities they serve. So we’re helping see how some social media guidelines can help.

Drawing up social media guidelines

We’re a bit excited that the LGA through their health and wellbeing board integrated care and system leadership have asked comms2point0 to take a look at how this could be improved. That’s a real chance to help connect those who are making the decisions with those who are being affected.

So, as part of this review it would be great to crowdsource some ideas and insight from the online community to help shape the guidelines to be the best that they could be.

What questions should we ask?

I’d be keen to understand – particularly from people working with Health and Wellbeing Boards – if social media could play a role?

If it is playing a role already, what that role is and also what success may look like?

Who should we be talking to?

Should we respond?

What could the benefits be?

What are the barriers?

So, how can you help?

If you work in local government, the NHS or have an interest in the NHS I’d welcome your thoughts.

• There is a #nhssm discussion on Wednesday February 12 from 8pm. Thanks to the brilliant Gemma Finnegan and her colleagues they’re hosting a discussion. Use the hashtag #nhssm to contribute. It would be great if you did.
• Feel free to comment on this blog post.
• Ask your council how they are using social media for their health and wellbeing boards.

Thank you!

Dan

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