Canberra Health Services' $800,000 rebrand under fire from Leanne Castley

The two-year contract with a Melbourne-based company includes new branding, the development of communication guides and an "employee valuation proposition" to "define who we are [and] what we stand for".

ACT health opposition spokeswoman Leanne Castley has raised questions about the contract, its value and the brief.

"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," she said.

A spokesman from Canberra Health Services said the contract was a "natural progression" for the organisation to establish its brand in the public health care sector.

This is because Canberra Health Services was only established in 2018 when it separated from ACT Health.

But the spokesman also said the organisation had been negatively impacted by its current brand. He said this was identified in a 2021 audit, which showed both consumer perception and staff morale had been affected by the brand.

"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 spokesman said.

The spokesman also said the rebranding would help the organisation in attracting staff as it would deliver an employee value proposition, recruitment materials and campaigns.

"It's important that CHS has a strong brand identity to position ourselves as an employer of choice," he said.

"We are competing interstate and internationally in a saturated health care professional recruitment environment for high-calibre staff."

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But Ms Castley labelled the rebrand as "PR spin".

"This rebranding exercise is just a marketing strategy from a worn-out government," she said.

"Canberrans are currently enduring unacceptable wait times for emergency department treatment and specialist outpatient services - $800,000 would pay for 30 hip replacements, 200 cataract operations or 300 MRIs."

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