Why internal branding is a strategic imperative in healthcare

Having a brand which resonates with employees is a strategic necessity – it affects recruitment, performance and retention.

And in healthcare, it can also affect patient outcomes, safety and trust.

For healthcare organisations, your brand is a driver of trust, and trust is influenced by how your staff behave and speak about where they work.

Branding shapes the internal culture. Your visual identity, messaging and tone reinforce how your staff communicate, what behaviours are expected and rewarded, and what is most important to the company.

This influences how your staff treat patients and their co-workers.

If an employee believes in its organisation:

• They treat patients more compassionately

• They communicate more confidently with patients, their families and their teams

• They strengthen the brand’s reputation externally

  
  

Employee advocacy is credible and powerful. If your staff believe in your brand, they will promote it.

Your staff want to feel proud of where they work and a clear, meaningful brand gives their job more purpose. They feel motivated to perform better, with increased engagement and productivity. 

For healthcare companies there are even more benefits to having engaged staff – improvements in patient safety, quality of care and clinical outcomes.

Engaged staff are also more likely to stay longer with the company. A brand that connects internally creates a sense of belonging. Employees whose personal values feel aligned with a company’s identity, mission and values aren’t interested in working elsewhere.

Case study – Fortius Clinic

Fortius Clinic, which is part of Affidea Group, was acquiring Schoen Clinic London – a state-of-the-art orthopaedic hospital in the heart of London. 

It brought together a super-specialist group of clinical teams providing world-class orthopaedic care and elite sports medicine across the whole patient pathway.

The team at brand w was brought in to develop brand messaging and values to support the vision of the new business and engage teams and stakeholders. 

Our work involved reviewing the values, differentiators and defining messages for the brand, while retaining the existing DNA that has been fundamental to the organisation's success to date. We built a brand story told through a series of powerful visuals which helped to embed the brand values and support the integration of Schoen Clinic London.

Read the full case study

A strong brand helps a company stand out in a competitive hiring market. People are increasingly choosing employers based on values, culture and purpose. And in healthcare potential candidates want to join organisations that are known for quality care, ethical standards and stability. Your brand needs to reassure candidates that they’ll be part of something reputable.

An emotional connection is also important to people working in healthcare. Telling a compelling story through your brand can influence candidates to work for you rather than a competitor.

When a brand clearly communicates its values – such as patient-centered care, clinical excellence, integrity - it attracts the right candidates who align with these priorities.

Having a clearly defined internal brand helps to embed the right behaviours and values across teams. Something which regulatory bodies such as the Care Quality Commission look out for when they’re assessing staff culture and leadership.

Case study – medneo UK

medneo UK provides diagnostic imaging services to the NHS and private sector. The business has been built on high-quality expertise and a deep commitment from their employees to deliver excellent patient care.

The company recognised the need to redefine its brand to accentuate these core values in an increasingly competitive market. 

The team at brand w was brought in to develop a brand strategy, brand pillars and visual identity.

Our work involved a deep dive into the brand story to understand the unique drivers and unravel the DNA that underpinned the business’s superior quality. 

We identified the focus on employing expert radiographers and nurturing this talent with an opportunity to work and develop using the latest technology – all within a deeply supported and collaborative work culture. It meant loyalty and quality were embedded.

We built this into a meaningful brand story.  medneo ‘Bringing you our best every time’ and ‘All of us. Working together’. 

Read the full case study

Employees will quickly pick up on a brand which is designed to look appealing but feels different internally. This damages trust and reputation. External branding needs to align with the employee experience.

A brand is one of the most powerful tools to influence a company’s culture and performance. In healthcare it also shapes how employees deliver care.

If you need help building your employee brand, get in touch. hello@brand-w.com

---

Wallace Health transforms to brand w.  The new branding agency for Wallace HCL Ltd.