LEAFLETS advertising personal injury lawyers at the Dorset County Hospital are to go following government concerns.

The information leaflets in the emergency department at the hospital in Dorchester are to be phased out and replaced, a spokesperson for DCH NHS Foundation Trust said.

All hospitals allowing such adverts on their wards were ordered by health officials to ‘immediately review their practices’ following a national investigation.

Bridport town councillor Karl Wallace spoke out after spotting the leaflets at DCH.

He said: “Hospitals are obviously desperate for money but it is unfortunate that they have been forced down this route to generate income.

“It clearly gives a negative impression. We seem to be in a society that is keen to exploit any opportunities it is given.

“The hospital is trying to be more helpful but leaflets like these do send out the wrong message.”

DCH is one of 40 hospitals in England to be found to allow solicitors to advertise using posters and leaflets, despite the fact that the Department of Health has previously issued guidance that such material on NHS premises is ‘neither necessary or appropriate’.

Government officials said in 2004 that allowing promotional material could imply the trust endorses the companies, which they said could undermine the relationship bet-ween staff and patients.

In 2012 NHS boss Sir David Nicholson wrote to hospitals to remind them that such advertising is ‘not acceptable and wholly inappropriate’.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “We have been clear it is not acceptable for this sort of advertising in NHS hospitals. Any trusts behaving in this way need to immediately review their procedures.

“Patients should be able to focus on receiving treatment and getting better, without having to be hounded by lawyers or adverts displayed in accident and emergency departments.”

A spokesperson for DCH NHS Foundation Trust said: “Whilst we did have emergency department leaflets of this kind, arrangements are already under way for them to be produced in-house.

“We are running down stock of the current emergency department leaflets, which will be replaced by in-house ones without personal injury lawyer information.”