Ambulance service suspends X account amid ‘hate speech and misinformation’

An ambulance service has suspended its account on the social media site X due to what it has described as a “sharp rise in hate speech and misinformation”.

The North East Ambulance Service said content on the platform, formerly known as Twitter, is “not consistent with its values”.

It will continue to post on other social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Mark Cotton, assistant director of communications and engagement at North East Ambulance Service, said: “We have taken the decision to suspend all our corporate accounts on X.

“We feel strongly that the failure to police content on X allows the perpetuation of unacceptable and offensive content, which has seen a sharp rise in hate speech and misinformation that is not consistent with our values.

“We expect our staff to uphold our values and standards when representing our service and equally we should uphold those same values and standards when using social media.

“Social media platforms can be contentious, but we will continue to use Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn where we have a large following which is growing, and we will seek alternatives to X.

“But it was important for us to show our patients, staff and future workforce that NEAS is a safe, welcoming and rewarding organisation.”

The ambulance service announced the closure of its account on X with a post on the site, which said: “We have suspended this account because the X platform is no longer consistent with our values as an NHS emergency service.

“You can continue to follow North East Ambulance Service on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.”