NHS Wayfinding guidance & standards
NHS England
Bringing clarity to complex built environments.
A strategy and design consultancy founded by industry‑recognised wayfinding expert Dr Colette Jeffrey. 25 years’ experience of evidence‑based, inclusive design solutions to better navigate healthcare, education and cultural buildings.
25+Years’ experience
50+Projects
NHSGuidance author
FRINRoyal Inst. of Navigation
In a hospital, wayfinding is rarely on the risk register. Here’s 3 reasons why it should be assessed then prioritised:
£8.4M
Annual cost of staff time directing people at one UK hospital
86%
Of hospital staff give directions every day, impacting efficiency
Fatal.
Getting lost contributed to death in UK hospital
Wayfinding is not just about signage. It’s an operational system that affects efficiency, running costs, satisfaction, and safety.
Where we’ve
worked.
Selected wayfinding projects in healthcare, education, culture, and civic environments.
University Campuses – audits & strategy.
Queen Mary University of London
Hospital Wayfinding – strategies & design.
25+ NHS hospitals
Reader orientation, St Pancras.
The British Library
Venue signage and crowd flow.
Wembley Arena
Landmark visitor experience & signs.
Tower Bridge
Our six stages identify problems and find solutions
Each stage involves collaboration and consultation. Final outcomes provide clear practical evidence‑based actions that will quickly and efficiently solve problems.
01
Plan.
Project priorities based on budget and time.
02
Assess.
Navigation risk factors, successes, failures.
03
Measure.
Impact of navigation failures and inefficiency cost.
04
Prioritise.
Quick wins and low‑cost, high‑ROI solutions.
05
Strategy.
Practical multi‑platform navigation solutions.
06
Report.
Recommendations, future‑proofing, business cases.
Insights.
Recent writing on hospital wayfinding, the costs of confusion, and the NHS guidance.
£8 million a year: the hidden cost of getting lost
Fresh data from a large UK hospital: £8.4 million a year in staff time spent on wayfinding.
Read
Why hospital wayfinding is so difficult
Hospitals are some of the most complex public buildings ever built.
Read
Applying the NHS Wayfinding guidance is easy for Copper Jetty
We audited 19 UK hospital sites and co-wrote the official NHS guidance.
Read
/ Let’s talk
Have a wayfinding
Have a wayfinding
problem worth
solving?
colette@copperjetty.com
United Kingdom · Working internationally
What clients say.
“Working with Copper Jetty has been an outstanding experience from start to finish. The team has brought clarity, structure and expertise to what had previously been a complex and challenging issue. They took the time to understand our site, our staff, and the needs of our patients, staff and visitors, and translated that into a clear and future-proof wayfinding strategy. Although we are in the early stages of implementing the recommendations, we can already tell that they will make a noticeable difference. With just a few tweaks, we have made improvements that have helped to reduce confusion, delays and unnecessary stress for patients and visitors navigating the site. I would highly recommend Copper Jetty to any organisation looking to transform its wayfinding, improve patient experience, and create a more accessible and welcoming environment.”
“Colette Jeffrey undertook work for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust to audit current wayfinding on multiple healthcare sites within Somerset. Colette delivered a workshop for key stakeholders and presented a final report that identified and prioritised our wayfinding problems ready for the next project stage. Colette was professional and thorough in the work she undertook, demonstrating a wealth of knowledge and experience.”