The Tropical Health and Education Trust is changing its name to Global Health Partnerships, in an attempt to better reflect the focus of its work and attract new funding streams in the future.

A spokesperson for the charity, which supports and forms partnerships between health institutions in the UK, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, said its previous name “is out of kilter” with its work and risks criticism from key stakeholders.

The spokesperson said the name no longer communicated what the charity does, since it was not restricted to working in the tropics or to tropical health issues. 

“We believe our current name constitutes a reputational risk at a time when the thinking and language around ‘tropical health’ is moving on significantly from when it was adopted by the charity in 1988,” the spokesperson said.

The term ‘trusts’ also implies that the charity only gives funding rather than seeking it, the spokesperson said. 

The charity said it was “hit hard” by reductions in UK aid in 2021, meaning it needs to attract new funding sources.

“A clear, modern name that says ‘what we do on the tin’ is key to this,” the charity said in a statement.

The charity has updated its logo to include its new name, but the spokesperson told Third Sector it is planning a larger rebrand next year. 

The name change and logo update was completed internally, so no costs were incurred. 

The new name was decided following a consultation process that began in July 2022, after it was signed off by the charity’s late founder, Sir Eldryd Parry, who died in November 2022.

The name change comes as the charity begins its expansion across the UK, having today completed its merger with the charity Wales and Africa Health Links Network, which has been in the works for two years.

WAHLN will become Global Health Partnerships Cymru and its board of trustees will be reconstituted as a steering group. WAHLN’s chair will be co-opted onto GHP’s board, first as an observer before taking up trustee spot when the next vacancy appears.

WAHLN is led by volunteers and has no staff but GHP has a staff team of about 45, 60 per cent of whom are based in the UK. 

According to its latest accounts filed with the Charity Commission, GHP had a total income of about £5.3m in the year to the end of December 2023. WAHLN’s accounts are no longer available on the Charity Commission’s online register.

The charity said the merger would give WAHLN access to GHP’s fundraising capacity and its staff team in the form of an annual programme of work, which will co-ordinate closely with the Welsh global development charity Hub Cymru Africa.

The merger is the start of GHP’s expansion across the UK, with the charity beginning early preparations to launch in Scotland.

Ben Simms, chief executive of GHP, said: “We are excited to launch our new name, which we feel provides us with the strongest possible platform to continue our brilliant work around the world. 

“Our new name says what we do on the tin: we are global, we are passionate about health, and we work in partnership.” 

Justin Ash, chair of GHP, added: “This is a bold move which modernises the charity’s appearance, while maintaining its dedication to the vision of a world where everyone has access to quality healthcare.”