Guidanceon usingsocial media
responsibly

We’re the independent regulator for nurses, midwives andnursing associates. We hold a register of all the 690,000 nurses
and midwives who can practise in the UK, and nursing associates
who can practise in England.
Better and safer care for people is at the heart of what wedo, supporting the healthcare professionals on our register todeliver the highest standards of care.
We make sure nurses, midwives and nursing associates havethe skills they need to care for people safely, with integrity,
expertise, respect and compassion, from the moment they step
into their first job.
Learning does not stop the day nurses, midwives and nursing
associates qualify. To promote safety and public trust, we
require professionals to demonstrate throughout their careerthat they are committed to learning and developing to keep
their skills up to date and improve as practitioners.
We want to encourage openness and learning among healthcare
professionals to improve care and keep the public safe. On theoccasions when something goes wrong and people are at risk,
we can step in to investigate and take action, giving patientsand families a voice as we do so.

This guidance should be read together with The Code:
Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses,
midwives and nursing associates (the Code).
Nurses, midwives and nursing associates should refer to thisguidance along with any guidance issued by their employer onsocial media.
This guidance is not intended to cover every social media
situation that you may face, however it sets out broad principles
to enable you to think through issues and act professionally,
ensuring public protection at all times.
As the nature and scope of social media is constantly evolving,
we will review this guidance as necessary and reapply theprinciples of the Code to new situations that emerge.

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Introduction
If used responsibly and appropriately, social networking sites canoffer several benefits for nurses, midwives, nursing associates,and students. These include:• building and maintaining professional relationships• e stablishing or accessing nursing and midwifery support
networks and being able to discuss specific issues, interests,
research and clinical experiences with other healthcare
professionals globally, and• b eing able to access resources for continuing professional
development (CPD).
This document provides guidance for nurses, midwives andnursing associates on how to use social media1 and social
networking2 sites responsibly and in line with the requirementsof the Code.
The principles outlined in this guidance can also generally beapplied to other kinds of online communication, such as personal
websites and blogs, discussion boards and general content
shared online, including text, photographs, images, video andaudio files.

 ocial media: “Websites and applications that enable users to create and shareS
content or to participate in social networking.”2
Social networking: “The use of dedicated websites and applications to interact
with other users, or to find people with similar interests to one’s own.”
2 Guidance on using social media responsibly1How the Code can be applied to social media use
The Code contains a series of statements that taken together
signify what good nursing and midwifery practice looks like. It is
important that you display a commitment to these standards
including:“Use all forms of spoken, written and digital communication(including social media and networking sites) responsibly.”(The Code, paragraph 20.10)
Nurses, midwives and nursing associates may put theirregistration at risk, and students may jeopardise their ability tojoin our register, if they act in any way that is unprofessional or
unlawful on social media including (but not limited to):• sharing confidential information inappropriately;• p osting pictures of patients and people receiving carewithout their consent;• posting inappropriate comments about patients;• bullying, intimidating or exploiting people;• b uilding or pursuing relationships with patients or service
users;• s tealing personal information or using someone else’sidentity;• encouraging violence or self-harm; and• inciting hatred or discrimination.
If you are aware that another nurse, midwife or nursing
associate has used social media in any of these ways, it might behelpful to refer to our guidance on raising concerns (NMC, 2013).
This sets out your professional duty to report any concerns you
have about the safety of people in your care or the public, andthe steps you should take to do this.
We highlight the relationship between social media use and theCode on the next page.
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Prioritise people
The Code emphasises the importance of putting the interestsof people using or needing nursing or midwifery services first.
You should always make sure that your behaviour on social media
is in line with this.
“Treat people with kindness, respect and compassion.” (TheCode, paragraph 1.1)
Do not post anything on social media that may be viewed as
discriminatory, does not recognise individual choice or does notpreserve the dignity of those receiving care.
“As a nurse, midwife or nursing associate, you owe a duty ofconfidentiality to all those who are receiving care.” (The Code,paragraph 5)
It is unacceptable for nurses, midwives or nursing associates
to discuss matters related to the people in their care outsideclinical settings. If you refer to your work or study on social
media you need to demonstrate respect and professionalism
towards all your patients or service users by respecting theirright to privacy and confidentiality. This is regardless of whether
you believe that there is a risk they could be identified.
Sharing confidential information online can have the potential
to be more damaging than sharing it verbally due to the speed
at which it can be shared and the size of the potential audience.
It is important to remember that although some information
may not directly breach a patient’s right to confidentiality whenanonymised, people may still be identifiable and this behaviour
may be inappropriate.

4 Guidance on using social media responsiblyPractise effectively“Always practise in line with the best available evidence.” (TheCode, paragraph 6)
As a nurse, midwife or nursing associate, you have a
responsibility to ensure that any information or advice that you
provide via social media is evidence-based and correct to thebest of your knowledge. You should not discuss anything that
does not fall within your level of competence and you should
avoid making general comments that could be considered
inaccurate.
“Maintain effective communication with colleagues.” (The Code,paragraph 8.2)
You must work cooperatively with your colleagues and thisincludes communicating in an appropriate way when you use
social media.

Preserve safety“Act without delay if you believe that there is a risk to patient
safety or public protection.” (The Code, paragraph 16)
Social media should not be used to harass or victimise someone,
or to attempt to prevent or discourage someone from raising
their concerns.

Promote professionalism and trust“Stay objective and have clear professional boundaries at all
times with people in your care (including those who have beenin your care in the past), their families and carers.” (The Code,paragraph 20.6)
Nurses, midwives and nursing associates should not use
social networks to build or pursue relationships with patientsand service users as this can blur important professional
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boundaries. It is important to be aware that even without engaging
with patients or service users on social media, they may still beable to access your information.
“Act with honesty and integrity in any financial dealings you havewith everyone you have a professional relationship with, includingpeople in your care.” (The Code, paragraph 21.3)
As a nurse, midwife or nursing associate, you have a responsibility
to ensure that you declare any conflict of interest around material
that you post on social media including financial or commercial
dealings.

How to use social media responsibly
Be informed
Make sure that you familiarise yourself with how individual social
media applications work and be clear about the advantages anddisadvantages.
Think before you post
It is important to realise that even the strictest privacy settings
have limitations. This is because, once something is online, it can becopied and redistributed.
Protect your professionalism and your reputation
If you are unsure whether something you post online could
compromise your professionalism or your reputation, you should
think about what the information means for you in practice andhow it affects your responsibility to keep to the Code.
It is important to consider who and what you associate with onsocial media. For example, acknowledging someone else’s post
can imply that you endorse or support their point of view. Youshould consider the possibility of other people mentioning you ininappropriate posts. If you have used social media for a number ofyears, it is important to consider, in relation to the Code, what youhave posted online in the past.
6 Guidance on using social media responsibly

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7 Raising and escalating concerns: Guidance Nursingfor nurses
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midwives
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