The Canberra Liberals claim that the ACT Government’s $800,000 decision to rebrand Canberra Health Services is “a shallow marketing exercise” before the next election, but the government maintains it is necessary to improve consumer perception and staff morale.

In September 2022, CHS signed a two-year contract with a Melbourne design agency, Studio Binocular, to “deliver a modern values-centric brand that puts our consumers, team members and stakeholders at the forefront of everything we do”.

“This project is about strengthening the Canberra Health Services brand – improving the way our consumers and carers navigate and experience our services, increasing staff engagement and pride, and giving us a point of difference in a highly competitive recruitment market,” a CHS spokesperson said.

CHS claims that a strong brand will help them recruit high-calibre staff from interstate and overseas. Consistent and contemporary signs and wayfinding will help people navigate around CHS facilities. Accessible and inclusive materials like in-patient guides and posters will boost consumer health literacy. Consistent uniforms will mean patients and carers can identify staff more easily, boost workplace culture, and foster a sense of pride. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artwork in communications will make hospitals more welcoming places for Indigenous people.

But the two-year contract period, as the Liberals noted, means Studio Binocular will finish their work just before the next Territory election. Leanne Castley MLA, Shadow Minister for Health, considers it is a PR boost on health and hospitals in the leadup to the 2024 election.

“This rebranding exercise is just a marketing strategy from a worn-out government,” Ms Castley said.

“Canberrans are currently enduring unacceptable wait times for emergency department treatment and specialist outpatient services.

• ACT has longest ED waiting times in country: ROGS (6 February)
• Canberra Liberals: Outpatient wait times continue to worsen (17 February)
• Liberals concerned by long outpatient wait times (20 January)

“$800,000 would pay for 30 hip replacements, 200 cataract operations or 300 MRIs.

“The people of Canberra just want a functioning health system, not more PR spin from this tired Barr-Rattenbury Government.

“It appears that Canberra Health Services believes it needs more image consultants to compensate for the Barr-Rattenbury Government diverting $3 billion to its new tram extension.”

What will Studio Binocular do?

The contract with Studio Binocular follows the contract the ACT government signed in July 2021: a three-month, $48,387 contract for a ‘Brand Refresh Project’, “to ensure our brand is contemporary, supports our strategic policies, reflects our values, and ultimately helps us realise our vision and role”.

That was an audit to identify difficulties consumers had navigating around the Canberra Hospital campus, understanding CHS services, and where to get information, CHS explained.

The audit identified that the current CHS brand “negatively impacted” consumer perception and staff morale, CHS said. Issues include legacy branding from past iterations of CHS; inconsistent brand application across CHS facilities, programs, and services; and sub-brands that do not look unified as one organisation.

“With increasing consumer expectations and pressures on the health care system, we are modernising our approach to communicating with the public and building a strong resilient workforce,” the CHS spokesperson said.

Over the next 18 months, Studio Binocular will refresh CHS’ brand mark, and deliver:

• January 2023: a draft brand book with guidelines to steer CSB fit out and wayfinding)
• March: user personas (“written, fictional examples of who our stakeholders are”) and a tone of voice guide (“how we express our brand personality through our verbal and written communication … what our recommended tone of voice is in different circumstances and when communicating with different audiences”)
• May: uniform design and guidelines (“a new, modern uniform design that takes into consideration function, invention prevention and control measures, and other requirements”)
• July: a brand communication strategy and campaign (“collateral, livery, and key assets such as key visuals, website and intranet banners, a launch video, and lanyards for staff … to help celebrate the launch of the refreshed brand and embed it in the organisation and the community”)
• November: a values-aligned employee value proposition (“should define who we are, what we stand for, what we can offer employees in return for their skills, capabilities, and the experience they bring to a role with CHS”)
• January 2024: brand health reporting framework
• April 2024: a brand asset library (“illustrations, key iconography, templates for key resources, and a grid system for communication collateral”)
• August 2024: an approved brand book (“a thorough description of our brand and clear guidelines about how and when it can be used”)

“If Canberra Health Services don’t know who they are or what they stand for, who their stakeholders are, and what tone they should use to address them, then heaven help us,” Ms Castley commented.