Facebook warning for North East nurses

Jul 17 2011 by Helen Rae, Sunday Sun

WAGGING tongues over the internet could land nurses in serious trouble, they were warned last night.

Nurses and midwives in the North are being given guidance to help them avoid misconduct cases related to the inappropriate use of social networking sites.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council says it has seen a rise in the number of people being found to be discussing privileged information over the internet - often unwittingly.

Online conduct and improper use of Facebook, in particular, has led nurses and midwives being investigated and even struck off.

This week the NMC has taken a strong stance on online misconduct and made advice available to nurses and midwives to ensure all those who work within the healthcare profession know the dangers associated with website use.

Its advice states that online incidents are to be treated as gravely as if they had happened in the real world. It also recommends that NHS staff make a clear distinction between their professional and personal lives online.

Estephanie Dunn, Royal College of Nursing Northern region operations manager, said: “We’re getting increasing numbers of calls from nurses who have posted messages on sites like Facebook, only to realise belatedly that their comments have not been as private as they first thought. All of a sudden, something that was written as a private rant to friends becomes something that could end up costing them their jobs.

“It is important for nurses to remember that their professionalism doesn’t end when they leave their workplace.