Why engage service users and the public using social media? Gary McGrow Health Services Researcher, Scottish Health Council
Why engage service users? Good quality participation in health services can contribute to an improvement in person centeredness, safety, efficiency and effectiveness Effective services must be designed with and for people and communities Need to embed community participation in the design and delivery of services
Speed of take up of communications technology
ONS 2010/11 – Internet Access 77% households have internet access in UK, 2/3s in Scotland increasing to 3/4s via access elsewhere e.g. work/libraries/mobile 45% in UK connect via mobile phone (up from 23% 2009) 18% have never accessed internet (35% in 2006), rises to 39% for those with a disability Generally, access increases with income and education and decreases with age Source: Office of National Statistics
Internet/social media use by age (UK)
Time spent on social networking and blogging sites
Facebook for kids
Glow - World’s 1st online community for education
E-participation & engagement tools Online tools which enables citizens/service users to feedback issues and engage with public services, such as: Online forums/discussions/message boards Online surveys/polls E-petitions Online focus groups Webcasting Online consultations
Benefits/challenges Benefits Challenges Reach more people than traditional media People can participate from own homes Personal and informal way of engaging with the public and gives ownership Challenges Staff time to develop Marketing strategy signposting to a portal or site Corporate concerns – IT security, productivity, legal risks, reputation
Conclusions Social media is not a fad, it is here to stay Ability to communicate, engage and target patients and public using these tools Complements other participation methods does not replace them Public sector use mainly in its infancy but will develop in the near future (especially via mobile devices) Requires governance and management protocols
Any questions?