The NHS in the North West has spent £30,000,000 on advertising campaigns that will include networking on Twitter and Facebook.
The budget, which will be spent over three years “will” help 50 organisations raise public awareness on such issues as healthy eating, the dangers of alcohol, and sexual health.
Up to eight public relations companies are being hired to devise suitable campaigns.
Susie Squire, of the The Taxpayers' Alliance said: "The NHS is under strain so we need to prioritise life-saving operations above frittering away money on this sort of PR.
"When it comes to delivering health care messages you should always go for the most efficient method and not the most fashionable."
She added: "The NHS needs to go back to listening to what patient’s want which is better quality health care and not swanky marketing.
"People are going to look at this and say 'Why are you spending £30 million on marketing and PR when I can't get the right cancer drugs or a hip operation?'"
NHS North West said the £30 million figure was an estimate of what might be spent if 50 or so organisations pooled their resources.
A spokesman added: "Social marketing is about influencing behaviour through different projects and different campaigns not just social networking or social media.
"The marketing may include social sites like Twitter and Facebook, but there is so much more (available). It works out at around £150,000 per year, per organisation, which is around £1.07 per year per head of population."
Why oh Why are the knobs in the NHS refusing to listen to common sense, the NHS budget is in for cuts regardless of the false promises of the Gov, this money should be used for patients not inane “trendy” advertising, as the now departed “Lord” Ara Darzi was so fond of saying “Quality” of treatment is what is needed, what we don’t need is advertising that most people will not see.
Angus
Angus Dei on all and sundry
Angus Dei politico
The budget, which will be spent over three years “will” help 50 organisations raise public awareness on such issues as healthy eating, the dangers of alcohol, and sexual health.
Up to eight public relations companies are being hired to devise suitable campaigns.
Susie Squire, of the The Taxpayers' Alliance said: "The NHS is under strain so we need to prioritise life-saving operations above frittering away money on this sort of PR.
"When it comes to delivering health care messages you should always go for the most efficient method and not the most fashionable."
She added: "The NHS needs to go back to listening to what patient’s want which is better quality health care and not swanky marketing.
"People are going to look at this and say 'Why are you spending £30 million on marketing and PR when I can't get the right cancer drugs or a hip operation?'"
NHS North West said the £30 million figure was an estimate of what might be spent if 50 or so organisations pooled their resources.
A spokesman added: "Social marketing is about influencing behaviour through different projects and different campaigns not just social networking or social media.
"The marketing may include social sites like Twitter and Facebook, but there is so much more (available). It works out at around £150,000 per year, per organisation, which is around £1.07 per year per head of population."
Why oh Why are the knobs in the NHS refusing to listen to common sense, the NHS budget is in for cuts regardless of the false promises of the Gov, this money should be used for patients not inane “trendy” advertising, as the now departed “Lord” Ara Darzi was so fond of saying “Quality” of treatment is what is needed, what we don’t need is advertising that most people will not see.
Angus
Angus Dei on all and sundry
Angus Dei politico
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