As the NHS evolves and begins to work in new and different ways, there are increasing opportunities to benefit the public through working in partnership with other organisations.

Partnerships can be formed at local and national levels with organisations that include other parts of the NHS, local authorities, other public sector bodies, charities or commercial organisations.

Communications partnerships can give the NHS innovative and effective ways of reaching and influencing people with health messages. In particular, partnerships can help engage harder-to-reach audiences by allowing the NHS to borrow either communications channels or credibility from the partner.

Working in partnership can also help share the costs of communications and health promotion activities.

What is a communications partnership?

An NHS communications partnership is any health promotion or communications activity in the public domain that identifies the NHS with another organisation.

Examples of communications partnerships include:

• A joint promotion or campaign, for example the NHS working with a national charity to deliver a co-branded anti-smoking advertising campaign and support materials for local use.
• Endorsement of a health promotion activity or event, for example a primary care trust supporting a poster initiative by local schools to encourage healthier eating.
• Hosting, for example using a local leisure centre as a channel to give out NHS information on the importance of exercise in keeping healthy and helping to prevent cancer and heart disease.

About these guidelines

These guidelines cover communications partnerships and are for NHS communicators and organisations considering entering a communications partnership. They are designed for anyone making a decision on the appropriateness of a potential partner, whether you are thinking of approaching an organisation or brand owner or you have been approached with a partnering idea. They were written in response to an increasing number of requests for guidance on what to consider when thinking about working in partnership.

It is a local decision whether to enter into a communications partnership. However, these guidelines aim to help you define the objectives of a potential partnership and decide whether to proceed or not.

The guidelines also cover sponsorship and advertising. Although they are different to the communications partnerships described above, they are covered in these guidelines because the association of the NHS with a sponsor or advertiser can also have an impact on the reputation of the NHS.

For guidance on service delivery partnerships, where an independent provider is working on behalf of the NHS to deliver a service, such as Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTC) or independent walk-in centres, please refer to the relevant sections elsewhere on this website.

What are the benefits and risks of communications partnerships?

Successful and appropriate partnerships can have a positive impact on the way the NHS is perceived, showing it to be innovative and forward thinking. However, if a partnership is perceived as inappropriate, whether it is local or national, this will have a negative impact on the reputation of the NHS as a whole. The public has high expectations of the NHS and is sensitive to signs that we are wasting money or inappropriately endorsing commercial products or services.

These guidelines can help you:

• decide how appropriate a partnership might be
• think through audience perceptions of a partnership
• estimate the potential risks of a partnership

The role of the NHS identity

One of the NHS’s great communications assets is the power of the NHS identity. Partners can be keen to be associated with it because the public is very receptive to messages coming from the NHS.

Research shows that:

• The public feels a great deal of warmth and affection for the NHS.
• The NHS logo is spontaneously recognised by over 95% of the public.
• The NHS logo indicates that information can be trusted – that it is credible and impartial.
• The logo gives authority to a message.
• Using the NHS logo can increase a communication’s impact and encourage people to take greater notice.
• Because the NHS logo demonstrates NHS involvement in an activity, you should aim to use it on all partnership communications. Using the NHS logo correctly and consistently will help maintain the value of the brand and help you achieve your objectives. Sometimes assumptions are made that certain groups are not receptive to the NHS brand, or that communications coming from the brand may be rejected because of negative media coverage. These assumptions are not borne out by the available research.

The NHS logo is a registered trademark, and you must use it in accordance with the NHS identity guidelines. See Use of the NHS logo for advice on how to use the NHS logo in a partnership.

Last updated: 02/06/10