Websites & patient experience · Practical guide

Show which appointments each branch offers

A branch continues operating but stops providing one particular appointment type. A general open status and full service list give visitors the impression that nothing has changed. A practice can have several branches without every branch offering the same appointments. Make the difference visible while people are deciding where to attend.

Read the guide Make your action list
Healthcare website and appointment calendar displayed on devices at an empty clinic reception.
Make the website useful for the people who use your practice.

What to change

Describe the change at the level of the affected service, keeping the remaining branch information clear. Provide the actual route for patients who need help with existing arrangements.

A worked example

Illustrative example

A branch continues consultations but no longer hosts a visiting service. Its location page keeps ordinary reception details while the affected service page points to the provider's correct enquiry route.

Healthcare website design showing connected desktop and mobile service and enquiry layouts.
Make the service and next step clear on every screen.
Healthcare website accessibility illustrated by a focus outline, keyboard key, contrast samples and form.
Review keyboard access, contrast and understandable form fields.

Put it into practice

For example, a branch might offer reviews while initial appointments take place elsewhere. Ask your supplier to check the journey from the branch page and the service page. Both routes should lead to the same honest account of availability, including an appropriate next step.

If another branch provides the requested appointment, link to its specific information. A generic list of all branches leaves the visitor to repeat the comparison you already know is needed.

What to agree before publishing

Create a simple service-by-branch check with the diary team before updating public pages. The purpose is to settle which appointments can genuinely be requested at each location, including any temporary differences. Show the result in useful language beside each branch's action. Where another location offers the service, link to that specific information. The visitor should not have to start over with a generic branch selector after the page has already explained why their nearest site is not an option.

How to check the result

A visitor can distinguish the branch's continued operation from the availability of a specific service.

A mistake to avoid

Do not mark the whole branch closed or imply that every appointment can move automatically to another site.

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.

Checks to discuss

Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.

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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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