Hospitals were told to change logo despite warnings it would ‘cost an absolute fortune’

‘This beggars belief. People rightly want to know every last penny is being spent improving patient care’

HOSPITALS were ordered to change their logo despite warnings from health service executives that the move would “cost an absolute fortune,” a leaked report shows.

Every hospital has been issued with instructions to alter their publicity materials, moving the “NHS” lozenge so it is above the name of the trust, instead of beside it.

The order – reported by The Daily Telegraph last month – prompted fury from patients’ groups, with concern about the use of resources when the NHS is facing the greatest financial crisis in its history.

The measure is being introduced by an “NHS identity team” following a two -year review.

Health officials said the changes would reduce “confusion and concern” among the public, claiming that current inconsistencies could be adding to pressure on accident and emergency units.

But the team’s research shows that health officials were repeatedly warned that trusts could not afford to make such changes.

Eighty trust chief executives, public relations officials and senior staff from primary care services were interviewed for their views, with nine workshops held involving more than 100 communications staff.

The resulting 116-page report states: “Timing and costs were generally seen as a challenge. For some organisations, the sheer number of signs and commu- nications that would need to be changed was daunting, and participants questioned how they could justify the expense at a time when the NHS faced funding difficulties.”

Organisations have been told to make changes to online publications within a year and to make changes to physical signs when practical.

But NHS chief executives and communications staff warned that making all trusts change their logo over a long period of time would simply create more inconsistencies.

Jonathan Ashworth, shadow health secretary, said: “This beggars belief … At a time when services are being cut and treatments delayed, people rightly want to know that every last penny is being spent improving patient care.”

NHS England said it did not know how much it had spent on the two-year review, which involved nine work- shops, 28 focus groups and interviews with 1,000 members of the public.

In the report, several of those questioned described horror at the use of public money in the past to create NHS trust logos. One commented: “They spent NHS money doing this? Good grief!” However, participants expressed a “uniformly negative” response to independently created logos. “They look like companies that put you on hold for hours,” said one.

A spokesman for the health service said: “The NHS is one of the country’s most recognised and trusted brands but in the 17 years since it was last as- sessed some NHS organisations have spent money on logos and brands that do not look consistent.

“To minimise costs, the decision was taken not to order NHS organisations to adopt the revised logo but to phase it in as stationery runs out or signs need replacing.”