What to change
Explain the route from the building entrance to the practice's actual reception or waiting point. Confirm practical access details with the local team rather than using vague assurances.
A worked example
Illustrative example
A practice at Suite 3 on the second floor explains that the ground-floor desk is for another business. Its arrival instructions name the correct floor and the sign outside its own reception.
Put it into practice
Ask the team to check lifts, signs and door names as part of the directions. Avoid assuming a visitor understands the building's numbering system or knows that the practice reception is separate from the one downstairs.
Check that the floor description matches signs and lift labels. A technically correct internal floor number may be unhelpful if the public building uses a different naming convention.
What to agree before publishing
Describe the journey from the point patients first enter, including any reception check-in before going upstairs. Confirm public floor labels, lift signs and the practice door name with the venue. Offer a way to discuss access questions before travelling instead of assuming that a floor number tells every visitor what they need. Ask a newcomer to follow the sequence. If they must ask for directions halfway through, improve that point rather than adding more general information about the building's location.
How to check the result
A visitor can locate the practice without relying on the postal suite number to explain the building layout.
A mistake to avoid
Do not say upstairs only when there are several floors or when visitors need specific information to plan their arrival.
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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