What to change
Name the exception and explain the correct request route. Make the reason useful where possible, such as needing the team to coordinate a longer appointment, without exposing internal complexity.
A worked example
Illustrative example
An extended appointment is available through reception because the team needs to confirm the arrangement first. The page explains this and asks people to contact reception instead of selecting a standard slot.
Put it into practice
Ask your supplier to remove misleading buttons that lead to a general diary with no suitable choice. An honest “contact the booking team” can be more helpful than an online booking invitation the page cannot fulfil.
Make the relevant contact route specific enough to act on. “Contact us for details” is less useful than identifying the booking team and the service the person should mention.
What to agree before publishing
Give a specific route for arranging the appointment and enough context for the patient to recognise why that route applies. If the team needs an initial conversation, explain its practical purpose without turning it into a clinical assessment by the website. Ask the supplier to remove or clarify buttons that lead to a diary with no relevant option. A truthful contact invitation is useful when it connects visitors to someone who can act, rather than sending them through an online menu that cannot fulfil the page's promise.
How to check the result
Someone who cannot find their appointment type can resolve the issue without submitting an unrelated booking.
A mistake to avoid
Do not interpret absence from the online calendar as proof that the service has stopped.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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