Who Are The Top 10 NHS Trusts On Facebook?
With over 215 NHS Trusts across the UK, each serving unique community healthcare needs, their Facebook pages play a crucial role.
Here's a look at the top 10 NHS Trusts on Facebook, showcasing their engagement strategies and effectiveness in social media communication.
What Is The NHS?
The National Health Service (NHS) is the UK’s publicly funded healthcare system, founded on July 5, 1948. It ensures free healthcare at the point of use for all, regardless of wealth.
The NHS is divided into separate organisations for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, each catering to specific regional health policies and needs.
Methodology
To determine the top 10 NHS Trusts on Facebook, we analysed metrics from the last 28 days (12/04/2024 - 09/05/2024), including followers, total posts, engagement rates, and types of posts. Engagement metrics such as comments, reactions, and shares per post were crucial in our assessment.
Trust Profiles
NHS Overseas Healthcare Services
NHS Overseas Healthcare Services caters to UK residents living or studying abroad, with 39,488 followers. They post daily, mainly sharing critical information on accessing NHS services outside the UK.
Post Type Pie Chart of NHS Overseas Healthcare Services
Approximately two-thirds of their posts are links guiding UK residents abroad on maintaining health coverage and accessing services.
A notable recent post from April 25 informed students starting courses in the EU after January 1, 2021, about the need to apply for a Student GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) to access healthcare services in the EU and Switzerland.
NHS Student Bursaries
NHS Student Bursaries actively supports students financially through scholarships and bursaries, with a dedicated following of over 42,750 people. They post a lot of pictures, which make up 94% of their content, to deliver timely updates and essential guidance on bursary applications. Their posts, which appear once or twice per day, are designed to keep students well-informed and supported throughout their educational journey.
A recent post from NHS Student Bursaries exemplifies their approach. It asks, "Are you applying for an NHS Bursary as an independent student through self-support?" and directs students to a link for more information on how to apply.
NHS England Workforce, Training and Education
NHS England Workforce, Training and Education, with 45,900 followers, is dedicated to enhancing the skills and careers of NHS staff. With only 4 posts in the past 4 weeks, this account has the lowest frequency of content updates among the top 10 NHS Trusts on Facebook.
Despite this, their content is targeted and strategic, focusing on engaging healthcare professionals interested in opportunities for growth and learning within the NHS.
For example, the above recent video highlights the launch of the Enhanced Practice Apprenticeship Schemes for 10 Allied Health Professions.
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
With 50,200 followers, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals is one of the most active on Facebook, having posted 166 times recently which translates to an average of about 6 posts per day, with the majority of this content 97% being pictures.
An example of their typical posts is a recent photo celebrating National Operating Department Practitioner (OPD) Day. The post gives a shout-out to their fantastic team of OPDs, thanking them for their vital role in patient care.
London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust has 53,955 followers and offers emergency care and patient transport services in London. With 32 posts last month, they share insights into their daily operations and staff heroics. This strategy helps inform the public and build a community around their essential services.
A recent post, for example, highlighted their Mental Health Joint Response crews, praising their specialist unit that has cared for over 17,000 people, with only 16% needing hospital transport.
A commenter, Claire Green, praised the initiative: "Nice to see things are improving in Mental Health in the Service."
NHS Professionals
NHS Professionals has 81,434 followers and specialises in workforce solutions. Their Facebook page is a key communication tool, with 10 posts last month primarily focusing on recruitment and professional development within the NHS. Despite lower engagement levels, they cater specifically to healthcare professionals seeking employment and training opportunities, maintaining a strong niche focus.
Their recent post above celebrates International Nurses Day
NHS England
NHS England, which has 232,885 followers, shares updates and information about healthcare services in England. They have utilised their recent 17 posts to effectively communicate with the public about health care policies, services, and updates.
A notable example is a post highlighting a new pilot program focused on making bowel cancer screening more accessible to individuals with sight loss, introducing an accessible bowel cancer screening kit called the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) aid. The post details how the kit works and its potential life-saving benefits, emphasising NHS England's commitment to inclusive healthcare innovations.
NHS Organ Donation
With 420,061 followers, NHS Organ Donation uses Facebook to promote organ donation. Despite posting only 7 times recently, their content has the highest reactions per post at 496 on this list.
Their recent post about Adam, who experienced severe health issues due to kidney failure. The post shares Adam’s journey from diagnosis to receiving a life-saving kidney transplant. The story, accompanied by heartfelt photos, emphasises the importance of organ donation and has resonated deeply with its audience, as shown by the 1.7K reactions, 79 comments, and 63 shares it garnered.
NHS Blood Donation
NHS Blood Donation, with 812,326 followers, runs a focused campaign on encouraging blood donations across the UK. They have posted 22 times, with an impressive engagement rate, especially in reactions per post at 334.
A recent post features Ashleigh, a first-time blood donor, sharing her inspiring experience: "I knew it is a really good thing to do and I felt inspired to help as many patients and research projects as possible."
The post received significant engagement with 610 reactions, 68 comments, and 36 shares, showcasing the strong community response and the effectiveness of their content in mobilising donors.
NHS UK
The NHS UK, the overall NHS body, naturally leads with the highest number of followers, boasting approximately 1.1 million, and having the most active Facebook presence.
Their content strategy heavily leans on picture-type posts which are made up of 83% of their recent posts leading to an average of 185 shares, 227 reactions, and 116 comments per post.
Their recent post which was published on May 13, 2024, has garnered over 369 shares, 247 reactions, and 92 comments in 24 hours. This image is a promotional graphic and their entry for Mental Health Awareness Week, which promotes their "NHS Talking Therapies" service.
It has also promoted users like Lynnette Drayton, who shared her positive experience with NHS Talking Therapies, stating, "I have been seeing the mental health lady for the last 4 months due to my anxiety and low mood. She has helped both me and my dad, who accompanies me due to my learning difficulties and health needs."
NHS UK Takes The Lead
The NHS UK Facebook page dominates in the different social media engagement metrics, notably average comments per post and average shares per post.
NHS UK stands out with an average of almost 120 comments per post. NHS Blood Donation and NHS Organ Donation maintain steady engagement with about 40 and 25 comments per post respectively. The remaining pages, including NHS England and NHS Professionals, show minimal comment activity, averaging less than 20 comments per post.
Lastly, NHS UK leads with approximately 200 shares per post. NHS Blood Donation and NHS Organ Donation also perform well, with around 50 and 120 shares per post respectively. Other entities such as NHS England, NHS Professionals, and the London Ambulance Service have significantly lower engagement, each averaging less than 20 shares per post.
How Can Social Media Be Harnessed for Healthcare Excellence?
The top 10 NHS Trusts on Facebook showcase the effectiveness of strategic social media engagement in healthcare. NHS UK leads with remarkable reach and interaction levels, excelling in followers, shares, and comments per post.
These top-performing trusts employ diverse strategies—like the frequent, visual posts by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals and the specialised content of NHS Overseas Healthcare Services—demonstrating that successful social media efforts are tailored to each trust's unique needs and goals.
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