Please try and remember that making people well again is what matters in the end.
We're all aware of the challenges faced by the NHS and its staff, and how savings have made life difficult for a lot of people working in Trusts across the UK, but what doesn't really help patients and their families - which is what the NHS is there to do - is flaming, berating, scaremongering and being straight-up inappropriate on places like Twitter.
I've noticed people plucking apparently random facts and figures from the air before firing them places that could do real harm - and to what end? If they're doing it for the greater good, then the method is a pretty unorthodox one.
Scaremongering in this way is inflammatory for all the wrong reasons, distracting for those trying to do their jobs, and potentially very distressing for the families of those whose loved one are in care.
Cuts and shifts do happen, but instead of poisoning the well with crude, often mislead comments, why not keep that part to yourself, and post a solution in its place? Think about what you could contribute to help this move forward, for the good of our staff and patients.
How crass comments don't help
Imagine a young couple, recently married, they just bought their first house together and couldn't be happier. Shortly after moving in, she's diagnosed with cancer. They're terrified; the most scared they've ever been in their lives.
She begins treatment and everything is going as normal, but he's started doing some research online. He comes across Twitter and sees wild, aggressive posts about how hospitals are in turmoil and how his beautiful wife is in danger because she was admitted on the wrong day.
How does any of this help him to support the love of his life?
It's foolish to deny current difficulties; they're a reality for many, but the NHS is about care, and what the guy in this example would likely have preferred to see would be something like this:
'These are difficult times, but check out this great resource for those whose loved ones are fighting cancer.'
You don't have to be on the front line handling patients on the daily, but if you have anything to say about the NHS, and you care about how it works, then you have a responsibility to do right by those patients and families using it.