Hospital worker Thomas tweets for NHS

Diagnostic radiographer Thomas Welton has taken over the @NHS Twitter account this week to reveal more about what his job involves

Other news: Teenage pregnancy rate falls but is still a worryHe is tweeting about his work within Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, sharing information about radiography and even correcting things seen in hospital dramas on television.

His posts can be seen by the account’s 30,000 followers around the world, with more people following every day.

Thomas, who lives in Hindley, said: “It’s been very good. There has been a lot of really good engagement from lots of different areas. A lot of the radiography world has been watching from the UK and abroad, including people from Australia.

“More importantly people from outside the profession, which is why I did it. It’s about people who don’t know what radiography is and who radiographers are and trying to promote our role.”

Thomas, 29, was supposed to be on annual leave this week but cancelled it after being given the opportunity to take over the account.

He said: “I couldn’t pass this up so I said I wanted to do it. It’s something that’s really interesting to do. I wasn’t doing anything, I was just having a week off, so I came in.”

So far he has shared observations about his day-to-day work at Wigan Infirmary, showing X-rays and tweeting about what he does.

He has answered questions posed by followers and sparked a discussion about mammograms.

He tweeted about TV shows Casualty and Holby City, comparing scenes to what really happens in the NHS.

Thomas started tweeting from the account on Monday and will continue until 6pm on Friday.

He said everyone at the hospital trust had supported him and were avidly following the tweets.

He hopes his efforts will help to promote radiography to the wider public.

Thomas, who was recently awarded the Regional Representative Of the Year for the North West at the Society Of Radiographers Accredited Representative Of The Year Awards, said: “They had a radiotherapy person do it a few months back and I have been following the account anyway.

“I have been promoting our profession and wanting to get our name out a bit more and our advancements in radiography. We are often overlooked for doctors and nurses.

“I wanted to have a platform on which I could start shouting about our profession. I wanted to show people what we do.”