Naming GP Health Centres and services

When naming your health centre, you should follow the principles set out below. These principles will help you to improve patient and public understanding of NHS services.

Health centre names must:

• be clear and descriptive -– not conceptual or abstract
• be written out in full - not as acronyms or abbreviations
• contain a geographical reference - to help sign post the centre.

The name of your health centre must be agreed in consultation with the Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the Department of Health brand team.

We support using the term ‘health centre’ or ‘healthcare centre’

We would also advise against using the terms like ‘health plus’ ‘health consortium’ or ‘primary care centre’ as these terms are not widely understood and likely to confuse.

Health centre names must not:

• include a third party provider name or their corporate identity as this could lead the public to believe the health centre is private rather than an NHS service.

Naming protocol in facilities shared with private providers

Where you are providing services in shared facilities, you should follow the naming principles set out in the naming introduction.

Remember that all names should be agreed in consultation with the PCT and with the Department of Health brand team.

Naming services provided in subcontracted facilities

Where you are providing services in subcontracted facilities, you should follow the relevant naming guidance within this section and agree the name with the PCT in consultation with the Department of Health brand team.

NHS logotypes

Please use the PCT NHS logotype with all communications. This will help in signposting and to ensure accountability is clearly communicated. If this is not possible the National NHS logo should be used in agreement with the PCT.

When you are using the PCT NHS logotype on stationery, patient information or other materials, you should clearly explain the relationship between organisations and the role in providing NHS services, for example:

'X Health Centre is run by X Healthcare on behalf of NHS X’

Last updated: 08/04/10