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NHS Influencers: Who are they and what are they saying?

by | Feb 27, 2017 | Influencer Lists,

In 2015-16 the NHS employed around 1.6 million people with a combined budget of £136.7 billion. As the NHS is funded by British tax payers it is a real political hot potato, and the debate about how much money goes into the NHS and how that money is spent rages on. The opposition parties are eager to persuade voters that the NHS would be safer in their hands, whilst the current conservative government is trying to reform the system and push forward controversial policies such as the 7 day NHS, and changes to junior doctor’s contracts. These changes were so upsetting to the doctor’s they went on strike, sparking concerns that patient care would be put at risk.

The NHS is having to cope with a number of challenges; the benefits of modern medicine means we’re all living longer, and an ageing population means a higher yield, and higher costs. Better medical technology and medicines are also driving up costs. Add to this the pressures of years of government  austerity policies, and the results are a health care system struggling to cope with demand. This has lead to overcrowded hospitals, with patients on trolleys in corridors due to a lack of beds, and long waiting lists for vital operations.

In analysing the NHS conversation on social media, we noticed that the majority of influencers talking about the NHS could be split into 3 main categories. NHS staff, politicians and journalists. Below is a list of the top 20 influencers in each category. If you’re keen to learn more and discover the top 50 in each category, just hit the download button to get the full report.

WHO ARE THE TOP NHS STAFF INFLUENCERS?

Here is a network map showing the online conversation between the top 50 NHS Staff influencers with the number 1 influencer @RoaringNurse at the centre. This map was created with our Influencer Relationship Management software (IRM). Be sure to click on the map to enjoy the full size network map in greater detail.
NHS Influencers - Who are they and what are they saying? NHS Staff Network Map

Below is the list of the top 20 NHS Staff influencers, to get the full top 50 list be sure to download the full report!

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RankTwitter HandleNameInfluencer Score
1@RoaringNurse#HelloMyNameIsJoan100
2@doctor_oxfordRachel Clarke99.94
3@drphilhammondDr Phil Hammond63.03
4@drbenwhiteDr Ben White56.84
5@DrJackyDavisJacky Davis54.33
6@parthaskarPartha Kar51.56
7@ClareGerada
Clare Gerada47.23
8@LollindialogueDancing Psychiatrist44.13
9@DrG_NHSGeraldine Strathdee43.37
10@dr_amar_mashruAmar Mashru41.59
11@KailashChandOBEDr Kailash Chand OBE39.88
12@svig2Stella Vig37.81
13@Dr_PhilippaWDr Philippa Whitford36.78
14@HelenStokesLamHelen Stokes-Lampard36.74
15@cpeedellClive Peedell35.49
16@mancunianmedicdavid oliver33.25
17@RoshanaMNRoshana Mehdian33.23
18@DrUmeshPrabhuDr Umesh Prabhu32.95
19@dr_alex_gatesDr Alex Gates31.66
20@mgtmccartneyMargaret McCartney30.1

 

WHAT ARE THE NHS STAFF SAYING?

In order to provide an accurate gauge of the conversation, we measured the frequencies of all the words used by the influencers in our programme, in conjunction with the keyword “NHS”. We then applied the tf–idf algorithm to adjust for the fact that some words appear more frequently in general. These words were then weighted and made into the word cloud shown below:

NHS Influencers - Who are they and what are they saying? NHS Staff Word Cloud
As you can see “nhscrisis” was the most popular word used in conversations by NHS staff. This really brings home the severity of the situation when you have your most influential members of staff talking about a crisis in the workplace. “Underfunding” was the 2nd most frequent topic followed by conversations around “Junior Doctors” which feature highly due to the controversial junior doctors contract enforced by the government. “Patients” and “care” were also popular topics showing that despite the crisis facing the NHS, patient care is still of the utmost priority to the staff. The theme of “cuts” appears a lot in conversations together with “funding”, “govt” and “beds” (no doubt a reference to the shortage of hospital beds). “7 Day” and “Jeremy Hunt” are also major themes among NHS staff.

WHO ARE THE TOP POLITICAL INFLUENCERS?

Here is a network map showing the online conversation between the top 50 political influencers, with the number 1 influencer @Meg_HillierMP at the centre. This map was created with our Influencer Relationship Management software (IRM). If you are interested in learning more about identifying, managing and engaging with influencers click here to get in touch!
NHS Influencers - Who are they and what are they saying? Politicians Network Map
Below is the list of the top 20 Politicians talking about the NHS, be sure to hit download to get the full report.

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RankTwitter HandleNameInfluencer Score
1@Meg_HillierMPMegHillierMP100
2@Jeremy_HuntJeremy Hunt86.9
3@Dunne4LudlowPhilip Dunne53.29
4@Mark_J_HarperMark Harper MP37.95
5@JonAshworthJonathan Ashworth MP35.6
6@VictoriaPrentisVictoria Prentis MP35.31
7@sarahwollastonSarah Wollaston MP35.22
8@jeremycorbynJeremy Corbyn MP28.29
9@CarolineLucasCaroline Lucas20.91
10@SocialistChrisChris Furlong19.79
11@NicolaSturgeonNicola Sturgeon19.1
12@ChukaUmunnaChuka Umunna17.63
13@Fiona__MillsFiona Mills17.52
14@heidiallen75Heidi Allen MP17.38
15@MichaelDugherMichael Dugher MP16.73
16@Keir_StarmerKeir Starmer14.35
17@Anna_SoubryAnna Soubry MP13.55
18@IanLaveryMPIan Lavery MP12.99
19@lucianabergerLuciana Berger12.88
20@kevinhollinrakeKevin Hollinrake MP10.94

 

WHAT ARE THE POLITICIANS SAYING?

The most popular word mentioned in conjunction with the NHS among the politicians was #careforthenhs (the Labour parties campaign slogan). Also high up in the list of words was £350M, a reference to the vote leave’s claim that leaving the EU would mean £350m a week more for the NHS. References to UKIP leader Paul Nuttall were frequent due to his controversial view that NHS stifles competition and should be privatised. Mentions of the word “crisis” was high among politicians, as were mentions of “tories”,”cuts” and “Theresa May”.

If you’re interested in looking at these influencers in more detail, as well as discovering more influencers, why not head over to our product page and get a free trial by clicking the button below!

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WHO ARE THE TOP JOURNALIST INFLUENCERS?

Here is a network map showing the online conversation between the top 50 journalist influencers mentioning the NHS with the number 1 influencer @BBCHughPym at the centre. This map was created with our Influencer Relationship Management software (IRM). You can click on the image to enjoy the full size network map in greater detail.
NHS Influencers - Who are they and what are they saying? Journalists Network Map
Below is a list of the top 20 journalists talking about the NHS, be sure to hit download to get all the insights!

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RankTwitter HandleNameInfluencer Score
1@BBCHughPymHugh Pym100
2@NickTriggleNick Triggle46.19
3@LawrenceDunhillLawrence Dunhill44.15
4@HSJEditorAlastair McLellan42.05
5@ShaunLinternShaun Lintern38.68
6@hughesthenewsDominic Hughes38.07
7@sofialind_PulseSofia Lind30.84
8@amolrajanBBCAmol Rajan24.64
9@bbckamalKamal Ahmed24.64
10@Rachael_SwindonRachael23.28
11@HPIAndyCowperAndy Cowper22.24
12@lauradonnleelaura donnelly19.38
13@mgtmccartneyMargaret McCartney17.32
14@denis_campbellDenis Campbell15.94
15@GarethiacobucciGareth Iacobucci15.01
16@RichardVizeRichard Vize14.25
17@jackiecassellProf Jackie Cassell14.25
18@MsHelicatHelen Miller14.17
19@fgodleefiona godlee13.55
20@OwenJones84Owen Jones13.5

 

WHAT ARE THE JOURNALISTS SAYING?

NHS Influencers - Who are they and what are they saying? Journalists Word Cloud
Topics among the journalists were on average a lot more evenly spread. “Funding”, “Staff” and “Crisis” again ring true with most of the journalists, as do mentions of “Pressures” and “Jeremy Hunt”.

WHO ARE THE TOP BRANDS?

Below is a network map showing the online NHS conversation between the top 100 Brands with the number 1 influencer @NHSMillion at the centre. This map was created with our Influencer Relationship Management software (IRM). If you are interested in learning more about identifying, managing and engaging with influencers click here to get in touch!
NHS Influencers - Who are they and what are they saying? Brands Network Map
Below is the list of the top 50 brands talking about the NHS, be sure to hit download to get the full top 100 list!

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RankTwitter HandleNameInfluencer Score
1@NHSMillionNHS Million100
2@RWT_NHSRoyal Wolverhampton40.54
3@UKLabourThe Labour Party29.38
4@Ldn_AmbulanceLondon Ambulance12.09
5@LBCLBC11.74
6@NHS@NHS / Sally8.82
7@NHSEnglandNHS England8.64
8@guardianThe Guardian7.67
9@ShelfordGrpThe Shelford Group7.1
10@CUH_NHSCUH7.03
11@UKIPUKIP6.76
12@keepnhspublicKeep Our NHS Public6.39
13@Channel4NewsChannel 4 News4.93
14@NHSImprovementNHS Improvement4.85
15@theRCNThe RCN4.74
16@NHS_HealthEdEngNHS Health Ed Eng4.53
17@CareQualityCommCQC4.27
18@DailyMirrorDaily Mirror4.25
19@RBCH_NHSBournemouth Hospital4.17
20@NHSflufighterNHS flu fighter4.1
21@MirrorPoliticsMirror Politics3.98
22@GdnHealthcareGuardian Healthcare3.87
23@HealthierInHealthier in the EU3.59
24@TelegraphThe Telegraph3.54
25@NHApartyThe NHA Party3.38
26@ImperialNHSImperial NHS3.38
27@TheKingsFundThe King’s Fund3.32
28@butNHSBig up the NHS3.11
29@1daywithoutusOne Day Without Us2.92
30@TheBMAThe BMA2.92
31@nottmhospitalsNottm Hospitals2.91
32@SLJuniorDoctorsJunior Doctors2.71
33@CI_NHSC&I NHS2.65
34@IndependentThe Independent2.64
35@GSTTnhsGuy’s and St Thomas’2.64
36@WeNursesWeNurses2.62
37@38_degrees38 Degrees2.62
38@BBCNewsBBC News (UK)2.59
39@LibDemsLiberal Democrats2.57
40@CV_UHBCardiff & Vale UHB2.48
41@Momentum_NHSMomentum NHS2.42
42@HPFT_NHSHPFT2.4
43@nhsbillnowNHS Bill Campaign2.35
44@HuffPostUKHuffington Post UK2.31
45@5_News5News2.28
46@NurseStandardNursing Standard2.21
47@Scientists4EUScientists for EU2.18
48@NHSProvidersNHS Providers2.18
49@NHS_EducationNHS_Education2.01
50@WelshAmbulanceWelsh Ambulance1.95

At Onalytica we love building these lists and want to give back to our loyal readers as much as we can. If you’re interested in other topics (such as the Top 50 UK Super Bowl Influencers, Rugby World Cup 2015, Health and Fitness) be sure to have a gander on our blog or why not propose some topics to us on twitter? We also build some very cool software to manage all of these influencers. Get a free demo today by clicking the button below!

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Disclaimer: As ever with these lists, it must be stressed that the ranking is by no means a definitive measurement of influence, as there is no such thing. The brands and individuals listed are undoubtedly influential when it comes to driving discussion around the NHS.

The PageRank based methodology we use to extract influencers on a particular topic takes into account the number and quality of contextual references that a user receives. These calculations also take into account a user’s resonance (engagement), relevance (number of tweets on topic) and reach (number of followers). If you want to learn more, please read our article that outlines influencer identification.

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NHS INFLUENCERS

WHO ARE THEY AND WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?

Download this free report which reveals the top influencers and brands talking about the NHS