Hospitals and Printing: A History

Long before the NHS existed, hospitals were already running on paper — and today's wristbands and wayfinding signs are the direct descendants of a much older printed relationship between hospitals and their patients, donors and staff.

Voluntary Hospitals and the Printed Appeal

Britain's 18th and 19th century voluntary and municipal hospitals, institutions like St Thomas' and Barts, relied on print to survive: annual reports to reassure subscribers their money was well spent, subscription appeals to attract new donors, admission forms, and printed rulebooks governing how the hospital ran. Before any state funding existed, a hospital's printed appeal was often the difference between staying open and closing.

From Ledgers to Labels

As hospital administration modernised through the 20th century, print took on new clinical jobs: standardised drug charts, pathology labels, and forms that needed to be legible, consistent and fast to produce across a busy ward. The exact dates this standardisation happened vary hospital to hospital and aren't well documented in a single source, but the direction is clear: print became a safety tool, not just an administrative one.

Modern Hospital Print: Safety First

Today's hospital print is dominated by patient safety: barcoded wristbands for reliable identification, medication charts, specimen labels, alongside the wayfinding signage that gets visitors from a car park to the right ward, and the patient booklets that explain a procedure in plain language.

The Printed Appeal Never Went Away

Hospitals still fundraise the way they always have, just with modern print alongside modern channels: donor recognition boards, event banners for fun runs and galas, and printed appeals sit next to the JustGiving link rather than replacing it.

Where This Connects to What We Print

Hospital fundraising events, community health initiatives and hospital-adjacent charities still need banners, signage, printed appeals and donor recognition material — exactly what our large format & signage and business stationery services cover, alongside charity fundraiser t-shirts for hospital events and sponsored runs.

Frequently asked questions

How did hospitals communicate before the NHS?

Through printed annual reports, subscription appeals and admission forms, since voluntary and municipal hospitals depended on donor support to operate.

Why are hospital wristbands printed?

For reliable, increasingly barcoded patient identification, which is a core part of modern patient safety practice.

Do hospitals still print fundraising appeals?

Yes — printed appeals, donor boards and event banners are still standard, usually alongside digital fundraising platforms rather than instead of them.

Browse our large format & signage printing page, or see the History of NHS Print for the national picture.