McKay, Kathy, Petty, Jane, Kennedy, Eilis, Wayland, Sarah and Ferguson, David (2021) “At Least until the Second Wave Comes…”: A Twitter analysis of the NHS and COVID-19 between March and June 2020. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (8). ISSN 1660-4601 Full text available

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Abstract

In the UK, tweets around COVID-19 and health care have primarily focused on the NHS. Recent research has identified that the psychological well-being of NHS staff has been adversely impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate narratives relating to the NHS and COVID-19 during the first lockdown (26 March–4 July 2020). A total of 123,880 tweets were collated and downloaded bound to the time period of the first lockdown in order to analyse the real-time discourse around COVID-19 and the NHS. Content analysis was undertaken and tweets were coded to positive and negative sentiments. Five main themes were identified: (1) the dichotomies of ‘clap for carers’; (2) problems with PPE and testing; (3) peaks of anger; (4) issues around hero worship; and (5) hints of a normality. Further research exploring and documenting social media narratives around COVID-19 and the NHS, in this and subsequent lockdowns, should help in tailoring suitable support for staff in the future and acknowledging the profound impact that the pandemic has had.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	COVID-19, Moral Injury, Content Analysis, Research & Development Unit
Subjects:	Groups & Organisations > Occupational Groups Health and Medical Sciences > National Health Service
Department/People:	Special Units
URI:	https://repository.tavistockandportman.ac.uk/id/eprint/2637

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