Naming an NHS foundation trust

The name of an organisation is a crucial part of its identity.
It is important that the names of all NHS organisations are comprehensible and clear.

This is to enable patients and the public to identify our organisations and understand their roles.

Although NHS foundation trusts have independent status within the NHS, they operate in a system that upholds the values and principles of the NHS. If you are part of an NHS foundation trust, you will have locally agreed, legally binding contract arrangements with host PCTs. These include a clause on abiding by the NHS brand guidelines, which extends to the naming of your organisation.

The name of your NHS foundation trust must:

• be clear and descriptive – not conceptual or abstract;
• be written out in full – without the use of acronyms or abbreviations;
• contain a geographical reference; and
• include the words ‘NHS Foundation Trust’ in the name.

The names of NHS services

When naming an NHS service, you should follow the principles set out above. You should also consider what will make most sense to service users. Remember to avoid medical jargon and ensure that the chosen name is used consistently across signage, appointment letters and other communications materials. This will help to improve patient understanding of, and access to, services.

Name changes 

If you are thinking of changing the name of your trust on achieving foundation status, you should consider the following:

• Your current name may be well known and well recognised; it could be costly and time-consuming to implement and raise awareness of a new name.
• Will a name-change help you to achieve your objectives? A name can only do so much, and you may wish to consider other ways to market your organisation, such as raising awareness of your services and promoting your reputation.
• You should be mindful of the cost and time associated with changes in name and be assured that the potential benefits justify the use of public monies.

You should also ensure that a new name does not clash with the names of other NHS organisations, as this could cause confusion.

It is worth noting that in recent cases where trusts have considered non-geographical names as part of their bid for foundation status, the proposed name changes were reconsidered following public consultation.

Approval for name changes pre-authorisation

NHS trusts considering a name change as part of their bid to become a foundation trust must carry out appropriate consultation and engagement with their stakeholders on the proposal, and ensure that proper consideration is geiven to any objections raised.

This is particularly so where there is no requirement in the Trust's constitution to seek the agreement of the Board of Governors to the proposed change.

This consultation and engagement should include contacting the Department of Health's branding team at the earliest opportunity. (nhs.identity@dh.gsi.gov.uk 020 7972 5250/5261)

Trusts should also consult with their contact in the Department of Health's foundation trust applications team. Once authorisation is granted by Monitor, the constitution of your NHS foundation trust must name the organisation.

Monitor will not authorise any name that has not first been approved by the Department of Health.

Approval for name changes post-authorisation

If you want to reflect a name-change in your constitution following authorisation, you should approach Monitor as well as the DH branding team as detailed above. Their contact details are:

Legal Team
Monitor - Independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts
4 Matthew Parker Street
London SW1H 9NL

020 7340 2400

Last updated: 30/01/12