The five agencies are design agencies Creative Lynx and Designmill Partnership, and digital shops Digit, Lateral and Mando Group.
The five will support Bang, the NHSU's lead brand agency working individually and jointly to generate creative ideas and innovative approaches to photographic projects and marketing campaigns.
The new agencies will tackle areas such as corporate branding, digital media, website and e-learning elements to extend NHSU's reach to its audiences in the health and social care sectors.
Launched earlier this year the NHSU is the NHS's "corporate university" for health and social care that offers training opportunities for more than 1.2m people who work for and with the NHS and the social care sector.
Helen Durant, head of brand marketing for NHSU said: "We are delighted that such a strong team is leading in the development of our creative marketing approach and will drive our desire to do things differently and innovatively. This high-calibre team brings to NHSU diverse and in-depth experience in many areas which are of great relevance to our work."
All of NHSU's programmes are focused on improving patient care and its initial plans include: working for the NHS, a consistent foundation for all those joining the NHS; communications for cancer care; and junior scholarships to encourage 14– to 19-year-olds into a career in healthcare.
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