Our rules – comments on a blog
These rules have been written to help keep comments honest, constructive, relevant and civil. Following these rules will legally protect both you (the author) and NHS Choices (the publisher).
Comments should be about the post, any comments which are ‘off topic’ will be removed.
How it works
All comments are read on publication and must comply with our rules. Moderation is undertaken by a moderation company which is independent of NHS Choices. Every comment is judged individually.
Identification
Identifying other people
You cannot name other people without their permission.
Defamatory comments
A defamatory comment is one that is capable of damaging the reputation of an individual or organisation. If successfully sued you could be liable for damages and costs.
Naming individuals
· NHS Choices does not allow people to name individuals in their comments. This extends to being able to identify someone by writing personal or professional details about them.
Naming businesses
· Defamation laws also apply to businesses. We reserve the right to edit out the names of businesses.
Contempt of court
Posting any content that risks prejudicing current or forthcoming prosecution or court proceedings (including General Medical Council cases) or which might breach court reporting restrictions, will be removed without exception.
Under 16s
Children under 16 can submit comments, but they must have permission from a parent or guardian beforehand.
Copyright
Do not cut and paste copyrighted material from external websites or documents. Comments we believe may be breaching third party copyright or infringing trade marks will be removed.
Be Civil
Do not write comments that are unlawful, harassing, defamatory, abusive, threatening, harmful, obscene, profane, sexually suggestive, racist, homophobic, sexist or that incite hatred against any group.
Abusive language
No comment with swearing or profanity will be published.
Posts in Capital Letters
Comments posted in capital letters are considered to be shouting and will not be published.
Comments that incite crime
Do not incite people to commit any crime or encourage other illegal activity.
Spamming/multiple posting/flooding
Multiple or repetitive postings will be deleted.
Personal information
Do not publish any personal information in your comment. It is not acceptable to publicise your contact details or anyone else's, including address, place of employment, name of educational establishment, telephone or mobile number, e-mail address, and so on.
Advertising and commercial activity
NHS Choices does not permit advertising or other commercial promotion. Comments of this nature will be removed without exception. This includes requests for charitable donations and/or promotion of charitable events. URLs will be rejected unless strictly relevant.
English language
NHS Choices requires all postings to be in English. Any comments containing foreign language will be removed.
Nicknames and impersonation
Impersonating someone is unacceptable as is using offensive nicknames. Please do not be offended if you are asked to verify who you are if you claim to be someone well-known.
Medical products
Specific medical/pharmaceutical products may only be mentioned in an appropriate context. We reserve the right to delete the product name.
Criminal or immoral views
Comments advocating criminal or immoral activities such as: the usage of recreational drugs, prostitution, pimping, fraud, stalking, extortion, terrorism, hoaxes, hacking and theft will not be allowed.
NHS Complaints
If you wish to make an official complaint or require a formal response to your comment you should follow the NHS complaints procedure first.
Bad Moral Example
Comments that glamorise smoking, alcohol or drug use will not be allowed. Nor will comments relating to gaming or gambling.
Your rights
Your comment can be posted on the website and read by anyone, as such, you give up all rights as to how your comment is used. Any comment you submit to NHS Choices, www.nhs.uk is subject to your agreement with the site’s terms and conditions. Please read them carefully. If you do not wish to grant such rights to the NHS, do not submit your contribution to this site.
Action which may be taken
Breach of any of the rules above may lead to your comment being rejected and the moderation company issuing an order to block correspondence from your e-mail address. Further, NHS Choices reserves the right to delete any comment, at any time, for any reason, and is under no obligation to publish any comment submitted.
Comments