Advertisements for NHS-funded services to come under ASA remit

19 March 2008

The Department of Health has announced that all NHS-funded services - which were previously prohibited from advertising - will now be allowed to do so. All advertisements promoting the NHS will have to adhere to the existing Advertising Codes administered by the ASA. The ASA will continue to work independently in order to ensure advertising of NHS services meets the same high standards that all other advertisers abide by.

This significant development follows a consultation, launched by the Department of Health in 2006, on a Code of Practice that was designed to establish how the promotional activity of NHS service providers would be regulated. The NHS Promotion Code requires NHS providers to adhere to the Advertising Standards Codes and provides additional rules and sets out additional NHS-specific rules for issues that fall outside the ASA’s remit.

Click here to access a copy of the Code Of Practice For The Promotion of NHS-Funded Services:  NHSPromotionCode.pdf