Four days of social media training cost HIQA €9,000

Part of the Authority’s remit is to promote public awareness of its services.

SOCIAL MEDIA CLASSES for seven members of HIQA staff cost the State agency almost €9,000 in the last year.

The Medical Independent received the information through a Freedom of Information request.

The Health Information and Quality Authority has said that the €9k bill for the four days of training is “in line with the eGovernment strategy”. As a public body, it is obliged to have a social media usage policy and be able to maximise social media to get information out to the public.

The amount was part of a €111,200 spend by HIQA between the beginning of January 2013 and mid-March 2014 on public and media relations. Of that, €91,372 went on salaries for communications staff in the body.

Read Catherine Reilly’s story in the Medical Independent here>

Government departments urged to use social media and communicate online>

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