Healthwatch Sefton Feedback Centre Moderation Policy.
Why have moderation?
Healthwatch Sefton wants people to be able to share their experiences so that good practice can be celebrated and also so that lessons can be learned and shared, when experiences are not as good as expected. The intention of moderation is not to censor free speech and we will always try to be as fair as we can when moderating.
General Guidelines
All of the feedback that we receive will be subject to moderation. This means that feedback will be reviewed to ensure that it meets moderation standards before it is published. The criteria that the posts will be moderated against are:
- That it is for a particular service
- If a specific staff name is mentioned this will only be published if the comment is positive. If a specific name is mentioned and the comment is negative, the name will be removed prior to publication and we will keep a record of the feedback (for future reference).
- That it is family friendly and does not include any obscene or abusive language.
- That it is not libellous, slanderous or defamatory
- Is posted by someone age 16 or over
Moderation Statements
Where moderation takes place and we need to ensure anonymity and remove libellous content, the moderator will include one or more of the following statements directly under the review prior to publication:
- Healthwatch Sefton has made changes to protect the anonymity of the author.
- Healthwatch Sefton has made changes so that individual persons are not identified negatively.
- This review contained information which may be regarded as libellous and has been changed by Healthwatch Sefton prior to it being published.
Abusive and Offensive Comments
Where we receive feedback that could be identified as aggressive, abusive, offensive or inappropriate, we may consider escalating those comments to appropriate bodies such as the Sefton Adult Safeguarding Partnership Board if they present potential safeguarding concerns, or to the police if they potentially constitute hate crime.
In accordance with this policy, we will not publish those comments on our website. We will however, keep a record of such feedback and consider sharing it with the provider agency concerned. Due consideration will be given to such sharing so that any individual being identified or targeted by abuse or offensive comments are not caused distress by receiving them.
Approved: 15th April 2025
Policy review date: 15th April 2026
How to report a post
If you read a post that you feel breaks any of these guidelines, do report it to:
Healthwatch Sefton
Sefton Council for Voluntary Service (CVS)
3rd Floor. Suite 3B
North Wing, Burlington House
Crosby Road North, Waterloo
L22 0LG
Telephone: 0800 206 1304
Email: info@healthwatchsefton.co.uk