The History of NHS Print

Q: Is NHS print still used today?

Yes. Patient information leaflets, appointment letters, and hospital and surgery signage are all still printed alongside digital tools.

Since 5 July 1948, the NHS has been one of the biggest producers of printed material in the country — and it started with one of the largest single leaflet drops in British history.

The 1948 Household Leaflet

In the months before the NHS launched, the Central Office of Information distributed a leaflet called Your New National Health Service to every household in the country, explaining in plain terms that the new service was free at the point of use for everyone — rich or poor, man, woman or child. A copy is preserved today in The National Archives. By the time the NHS opened, around 95% of the population had already signed up, a genuinely remarkable result for a single piece of print.

From Persuasion to Moderation

Once the service launched, the tone of NHS print shifted — from persuading people to sign up, to helping manage demand and explain how to use services appropriately. That basic pattern, print doing the job of clear public communication at national scale, has repeated at every major NHS moment since, right through to COVID-19 public health material.

A Standardised Identity

The now-familiar NHS visual identity, the blue lozenge and the Frutiger typeface, was standardised in the 1990s, giving decades of separately-produced hospital and surgery signage, letterheads and patient material a single recognisable look.

What NHS Print Looks Like Today

Digital tools like the NHS App and e-prescriptions have taken over some jobs print used to do, but print hasn't gone away — patient information leaflets, appointment letters, hospital and surgery signage, and public health campaign material are all still printed, often precisely because print remains more accessible than a screen for many patients.

Where This Connects to What We Print

Surgeries, community health groups, charities and NHS-adjacent organisations still need exactly this kind of printed material today — waiting room posters, campaign leaflets, event banners and clear signage. We print banners, posters, leaflets and business stationery through our large format & signage and business stationery & publications services.

Frequently asked questions

When did NHS printed communication begin?

With a household leaflet distributed nationally in the months before the NHS launched on 5 July 1948, explaining the new service to every home in the country.

Is NHS print still used today?

Yes — patient information leaflets, appointment letters, and hospital and surgery signage are all still printed, alongside digital tools like the NHS App.

When was the NHS visual identity standardised?

The blue lozenge and Frutiger typeface identity now used across the NHS was standardised in the 1990s.

Browse our large format & signage printing and business stationery pages, or see the History of the Printing Press for the story behind print itself.

The Day Itself, and Four Different Services

The NHS formally began on 5 July 1948 under the National Health Service Act 1946, and Aneurin Bevan, the Minister of Health, launched it at Park Hospital in Davyhulme near Manchester. The hospital is now called Trafford General. One detail that matters for anyone dealing with NHS print: the service was created through separate legislation in each part of the UK, so England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have always run their own services. Devolution in 1999 made that difference more visible. It is why a leaflet that looks right in one nation can carry a different logo, wording or contact details in another.

Slogans That Became Print

Some of the most recognisable health print in Britain is a single line of text on a poster.

Catch it, Bin it, Kill it. The respiratory and hand hygiene campaign was launched by the UK government in November 2007 and appeared in NHS premises and on buses, trains and in libraries and shopping centres. It returned in printed and hand-delivered form during the 2009 swine flu pandemic, and in 2020 the poster was made available to download for primary care and workplaces.
Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives. This slogan accompanied the national lockdown of 23 March 2020 and appeared on the lecterns at government press conferences and in newspaper, radio and television adverts, usually in bold capitals on a yellow background. It was replaced by "Stay Alert" on 10 May 2020.

Both are useful lessons in poster design. Short imperative verbs, a clear single message and strong colour contrast are what make a poster work from across a waiting room.

The Logo Behind the Lozenge

A glance at NHS history shows how patchy branding was for decades. Hospitals, health authorities and trusts made their own logos, and the internal market of the 1990s multiplied them, with roughly 600 in use by the end of that decade. A single identity was adopted around 1999. The blue lozenge is set in Pantone 300 blue, is about 2.4 times as wide as it is tall, and uses white Frutiger Bold Italic lettering, with strict rules for position, size and surrounding space.

The NHS identity guidelines name two fonts for communications. Frutiger is the main font. Arial is the secondary font, used when Frutiger is not available and typically for internal letters, reports and presentations. The guidelines say no other fonts should be used apart from foreign language fonts, and they advise avoiding italics online because they are less accessible.

For a small community group, the practical lesson is that the NHS logo belongs to the NHS. You cannot simply add it to a leaflet or a T-shirt to suggest approval. If you are working with an NHS body, they will tell you what they allow. If you are not, use your own name and identity and describe what you do in plain words.

Uniforms: Print on Fabric in a Clinical Setting

Uniform has its own policy history. Department of Health guidance on uniforms and workwear was issued in 2007 and revised in guidance published on 26 March 2010 that reaffirmed its principles. The phrase "bare below the elbows" became the popular nickname for it, though the phrase never appeared in the text itself. The guidance leaves it to each organisation to develop its own local uniform policy and dress code, and it excludes personal protective equipment such as disposable aprons.

Why this matters for printing on clothing:

Trusts and surgeries set their own rules, so any printed top for staff or volunteers should be agreed with whoever manages the dress code before artwork is finalised.
Volunteer, fundraising and community health groups are not NHS staff and are not wearing NHS uniform. Their printed tops should be clearly their own, not an imitation of a trust uniform.
Clear role labels on the front or back, such as a group name and a simple role, are easier for the public to read than small chest logos.
Scrubs and tunics are a clothing category in their own right. Our pages on scrubs and workwear printing and bulk scrubs printing describe what can be printed on them. We print by DTF only and make no claim about clinical suitability or infection-control compliance, so check your employer's rules on printed garments first.

Planning Printed Material for a Health Event

Surgeries, patient groups, fundraisers and charities run awareness days, walks, coffee mornings and open evenings. A workable plan:

1. Decide the single message of the day and write it in under ten words.

2. Pick a poster and banner size based on where it will be seen. A hallway needs a large sign. A noticeboard needs a small, crisp one.

3. Use plain language and a readable type size. Patients and visitors come in all ages and abilities, and our history of disability and printing sets out clear print advice.

4. List the contact route, such as a phone number or email address, for people who need information in another format.

5. If volunteers will wear matching tops, order enough to cover everyone and ask for a proof.

6. Give your event date when you request a quote, and order early.

For banners and display stands, the flags, banners and display stands guide explains the options.

Questions About NHS Print

Can anyone use the NHS logo?

No. The identity is controlled by the NHS and has strict rules for how it is used. Community groups should not use it unless an NHS body has given permission.