The world renowned Australian Craniofacial Unit needs permission from a charity run by Professor David David to use its own name
What’s in a name? Well quite a lot when you are the world famous Australian Craniofacial Unit – but it turns out the public medical facility doesn’t own the rights to the name and could be forced to dump it.
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In what is considered a first for the Australian public health system, the name of a world-famous medical unit has been registered by an independent third party that can withdraw permission to use the name at any time.
The Australian Craniofacial Unit housed at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in North Adelaide has a worldwide reputation, forged over more than 40 years, for medical excellence.
But documents show the ACFU name is registered to an organisation with no legal connection to SA Health or the Women And Children’s Health Network, that administers the hospital.
The Advertiser can reveal the unit’s name and logo is solely owned by the Australian Cranio Maxilla Facial Foundation (ACMFF), an independent charity, founded and chaired by eminent surgeon Professor David David.
Professor David, the South Australian of the Decade in 1990, co-founded the ACFU in 1974 and is the person most closely associated with its success in changing the lives of those with deformities and head injuries.
He left the ACFU last year after 44 years.
In a statement the ACMFF confirmed it acts as “custodians” of the name ‘Australian Cranio Facial Unit’ and holds both the “registered trademark and business name”.
“The name Australian Cranio-Facial Unit has special meaning born out of the recognition of the centre of excellence established by Professor David David over decades.” the statement reads.
“(It) provides patients with craniofacial deformations the confidence that the care they are receiving meets the highest possible standard.
“It (ACFU) has very much been owned by the people of South Australia, and the Foundation is proud to act as custodians of the name.”
Last week in a report in The Advertiser the Foundation, that has assets of $9 million and trades as Craniofacial Australia, said it had been “frozen out” in recent attempts to communicate with the WCH, RAH, the Central Adelaide Local Area Network and the craniofacial unit.
Head of the ACFU, Dr Mark Moore, said the unit had received no “meaningful” funds from the charity for two years.
“To date the foundation has allowed both the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the Royal Adelaide Hospital to make use of the name to describe their cranio facial health care delivery services,” the statement continues.
The ACMFF said it intends to continue to uphold the integrity of the name ‘Australian Cranio Facial Unit’ and has “no current plans” to revoke or withdraw its permission to both hospitals to make use of the name.
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Research by The Advertiser has revealed the foundation first registered the name ‘Australian Cranio Facial Unit’ in December 2001, with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, when Professor David was head of the unit.
The ACFU’s famous logo of a head surrounded in blocks of yellow, red and blue, the three colours of South Australia, was also registered to ACMFF in September 2003.
Both the ACFU and Craniofacial Australia, the trading name of the AMCFF currently use the logo.
The Advertiser understands the WCH has inquired about varying the ACFU’s name to circumvent ownership issues but without success.
The costs of renaming and rebranding the unit with a new logo are considered to be substantial and prohibitive.
The WCH failed to answer specific questions around the ownership of the ACFU’s name and made the following statement:
“The WCH executive is meeting with Professor David David and the Australian Cranio-Maxilla Facial Foundation this week. We continue to be immensely proud of the work of our craniofacial specialists at the WCH.”
Last week Health Minister Stephen Wade said a report completed this year into historical allegations of bullying and maladministration at the ACFU would remain “confidential”.