I’ve fell down a bit of a hole with Every Doctor UK - and I know I’m not a doctor so it’s not my place to comment - but it’s interesting that it positions itself as advocating on behalf of doctors, yet it’s membership is open to all.

This isn’t “all” doctors, it’s a mish mash..

of staff, patients and public.

Secondly, the very function it is positioning itself to perform is EXACTLY what unions do.

I’ve always been a huge supporter of unions and I think NHS organisations and the government could and should do a lot more to engage with them.

Again, there may be problems within the BMA, but TU consist of people who have the skills, knowledge and ability to deliver meaningful, results focused advocacy.

Surely it is better to strengthen our unions, rather than set up new institutions which lack that infrastructure?

Also, there needs to be a recognition from Every Doctor UK that mass public and media communications is a skill.

Again, it requires specialist knowledge & experience in the subject area to be fully effective.

I also think there’s a really strange narrative that’s come about recently - this idea that the NHS is “hiding” something or “preventing staff” from speaking out because there’s been emails on the subject / because journalists have not been allowed into hospitals.

Personally, I struggle to get my head around this.

The NHS is meant to be a politically neutral organisation - it is right for NHS organisations to advise staff to proceed with caution before speaking to the media. However, I’ve never felt my freedom of speech has...

been stifled.

I’m vocal on Twitter, but I make it clear that all views are my own and are not affiliated to my organisation / do not impact the decisions I make at work.

Earlier this year, I gave an interview which I was conscious could have been perceived as controversial...

Or politically motivated. I was careful to not name the Trust I worked for - it was an interview about a small and unrelated issue, but I still proceeded with caution.

We have to take care because we treat the public, who may hold different views to us. We need to show...

them kindness and respect, and reassure them that whilst we are human with our own opinions, it will not affect the care they receive.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong NHS Trusts communicating this message. I, personally, would NEVER take a media interview on the NHS...

without first seeking guidance from my Trust’s comms & HR team.

The second issue I have with this narrative is as follows - no one seems to consider the ethics of allowing the media into hospitals at this time.

We are not “hiding” anything but staff are extremely busy and I suspect many do not want a camera in their face as they try to carry out their work.

Nor can we always allow the filming of sick, vulnerable and scared patients. They are people. Not animals in a zoo.

Right now, most Trusts are not allowing relatives to visit.

Why should a random journalist be able to speak to your loved one, when you can’t?

It’s morally problematic.

Ultimately, we need to build an effective public health campaign by COLLABORATING across...

All specialisms - comms, managers, clinicians, politicians - instead of fighting this fight as individuals, who lack the knowledge required to achieve any meaningful result.

We also need to recognise that the “shock factor” has not, to date, been an effective tactic.

And, finally, when we whistleblow we should always be asking WHY?

What purpose does this serve? Who is it helping and who is it hurting? What tangible results do I want from this action?

Whistleblowing is a right, but we need to constantly check our motivations.

Sorry, an incredibly long thread - but (as you can see) I have a lot of feelings on this.