UNION chiefs have criticised the cash-strapped Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for considering whether the word ‘hospital’ should be taken from its title.

The Trust has made several suggestions of what its name could be changed to as part of its consultation on the subject.

Trust chiefs said the word hospital does not ‘fully reflect the full range of care and services we provide and can cause confusion when services are provided elsewhere’.

But Andy Rutherford, regional organiser for Unison, said the trust should reveal how much the process was costing in time and money.

He said: “They would be better off putting that money into frontline services and protecting what they have.”

Mr Rutherford added: “No matter what the name is changed to, people will always refer to it as a hospital anyway.”

A trust spokesman said the name of the actual hospital site would not change, but the name of the trust as a whole could.

He said the consultation itself had been done in-house and estimated the cost at just tens of pounds although he accepted money would need to be spent on some new signs if the name change went ahead.

He added: “We are not just a hospital. We are a Foundation Trust which delivers high-quality patient care at a variety of locations, including Ellesmere Port Hospital, services at other hospitals, and services delivered in the community or at GP surgeries, and we need a name reflecting that.

“Patients, visitors and members of the public will not notice much change. We will continue to deliver the best possible care to our patients.”

To take part in the consultation, go to http://bit.ly/jkgxp3 or write to: Consultation Office, c/o Facilities Directorate, Countess of Chester Hospital, Liverpool Road, Chester CH2 1UL. It will end on August 31