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Senior managers at North Wales’ beleaguered health board are snooping on staff social media accounts and punishing them for being critical of the NHS.

An investigation by the Daily Post shows the number of workers who have been disciplined for talking about the NHS, or the Betsi Cadwaladr health board , online.

The findings have raised fears that disciplining staff for speaking their mind could put off whistle blowers.

The numbers show that there was one verbal warning to staff in both 2014 and 2016 but this spiked in 2015 with four warnings being issued, there was also one written warning given to workers in both 2015 and 2016.

A spokesperson for the North Wales Health Alliance said: “It’s not clear what type of comments were written on Social Media to trigger these, and we certainly hope that nobody shares information which might be confidential.

“We therefore welcome the Health Board’s social media policy. However we’ve been contacted via social media by staff and healthcare professionals about their concerns. Sometimes people don’t know who to turn to in order to get help or to bring an issue to the fore, and it’s important that the staff are made aware of the board’s whistleblowing procedures, and that whistleblowers are respected.”

Staff member are expected to act responsibly and use social media with respect and in a professional manner, according to the board.

A spokesperson for the board said: “Many thousands of Health Board staff make regular use of social media. Many of them engage in discussions that relate to health services and this can be a useful way of sharing information and maintaining relationships with colleagues.

“However it is important that people act in a manner in keeping with their role as public employees and abide by the standards of conduct that they agree to as staff of the Health Board.

“Many health professional bodies provide specific guidance for their members on appropriate use of social media, and there is an NHS Wales Social Media Policy.

“Where a member of staff is found guilty of misconduct, whether this relates to social media or any other issues, the Health Board will take appropriate action.”

They added there were clear procedures for staff to go through if they felt there were important issues that needed to be raised anonymously.