'Corporate' NHS tells hospitals to scrap their logos

SOME OF Britain's most famous hospitals have been ordered by the Government to scrap their distinctive logos to ensure "consistent branding" across the NHS.

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children and the Whittington Hospital in London and Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool are among those that have been told by Whitehall to drop their individual identities.

The hospitals will have to amend stationery, reports, signs and even nurses' uniforms so that the NHS logo appears instead of their own.

The order has angered staff at many of the hospitals, which have based their fund-raising on distinctive identities. Under the changes, Great Ormond Street will lose its mother and child logo, the Whittington will lose its famous black cat and Alder Hey will lose its rocking horse for most purposes.

An insider at Great Ormond Street said the proposal went down "incredibly badly" among staff. "It's so petty, it's ridiculous. Why do we all have to look the same?" he said.

The mother and child logo, which has proved extremely popular with the public, will be removed from staff uniforms as they are replaceddue to wear. The hospital's Institute of Child Health, a medical school and research centre, will be allowed to keep the image alongside the new NHS brand. As part of the proposals, staff at Great Ormond Street had to hand over old stationery to ensure that no unauthorised material was left in use.

Under a Department of Health edict sent to all hospitals, only those with a logo that pre-dates the foundation of the health service in 1948 will be allowed to retain their brand.

Liam Fox, the Conservative health spokesman, described the Government's moveas "centralisation gone mad".

"Labour should stop imposing its Stalinist agendas and start tackling the crisis in our hospitals and general practice," Dr Fox said.

"Many of these hospitals have an intense local loyalty and have built up an international reputation thanks to their own efforts. It's crazy to deny them their own identities in the name of corporate branding."

A spokesman for Great Ormond Street stressed that it was proud to be part of the NHS, but made clear that the initiative had not come from the hospital itself.

"Letting people know that we are an NHS hospital is a good thing. But you will have to ask the Department of Health why we couldn't have both our own logo and the NHS logo.

"We have been told we have to use the NHS logo on recruitment advertising by a certain date and stationery by another. Uniforms will be amended over time. We intend to carry this out at minimum cost," he said.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said research had shown that many people didn't realise some children's hospitals were part of the NHS.

"As with any huge organisation, the NHS has to have consistent branding. By having the same logo across all hospitals we can save tens of thousands of pounds in printing cost," she said.

"Children's hospitals can continue to use their own logos, but only on a fund-raising basis so they still have that recognition with the public ... Their corporate image will have the NHS instead, so that the NHS brand will be recognised whenever they do business."