"Social media conduct"

Dear DisappointedinPilbaraMH

Thank you for taking the time to raise your concerns and bringing this matter to our attention. I can appreciate how you are feeling disheartened with the views expressed in the post. As we are at the beginning of a new year, it is a timely reminder for all of us to reflect on the power of words, both written and verbal, and the impact we have on others when we respond without consideration or kindness.

As a health organisation we must represent safety, inclusiveness and provide trauma informed practices. I would like to assure you the issues you have raised will be escalated and responded to as a priority, including a reminder to all staff members of their responsibilities when commenting / posting on social media platforms.

Again, thank you for taking the time in sharing your concerns, I greatly appreciate it.

Warm regards

Lisa Barnes

Executive Director

WA Country Health Service (WACHS) Pilbara

Good morning DisappointedPilbaraMH,

Thank you for reaching out regarding the moderation of your story on Care Opinion.

I can understand why the moderation of your story may feel frustrating, particularly given the seriousness of what you have shared. I wanted to take a moment to explain how moderation works on Care Opinion.

Moderation is not designed to be an act of censorship, but rather a mechanism to ensure that everyone involved in a care experience remains safe within a public forum. This includes protecting individuals from being publicly identified, particularly where concerns are critical in nature.

In situations such as this, where there is a balance to be struck between highlighting an issue of public concern and maintaining individual safety, we take particular care in how a story is shared publicly.

In this case, we recognised the significance of what you shared and the impact the social media post had on you and your community. While certain details were removed from the public version of your story to maintain anonymity, the unmoderated version of your story was directly with WACHS Pilbara so they could appropriately review and address the matter with the staff member involved.

I would like to reassure you that the moderation decision was made independently by Care Opinion and was not influenced by the service. Our approach is guided by our moderation principles, which aim to balance transparency with safety and fairness for all parties.

We understand your concern about the visibility of these issues, and we take seriously our role in ensuring that important feedback leads to meaningful reflection and action behind the scenes, even where some details cannot be shared publicly.

Thank you again for taking the time to raise this and for continuing to speak up about matters that are important to your community.

Kind regards,

Rebecca