Websites & patient experience · Practical guide

Explain the walk from public transport to your practice

A page says five minutes from the station but does not name the correct exit or entrance. Visitors unfamiliar with the area cannot translate the estimate into a usable route. “Close to the station” does not explain the last part of a journey. Give a verified route from the relevant stop or station exit to the practice entrance, mentioning the landmarks people actually see.

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 final approach using locally verified landmarks. Treat walking times as approximate and link to the transport operator for changing service information.

A worked example

Illustrative example

A practice names the station's Market Road exit, then the road and entrance patients should look for. It gives an approximate distance instead of promising the same walking time for everyone.

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

Avoid inventing a walking time that ignores the route or individual circumstances. Ask a local colleague to follow the directions. If the route changes, the arrival page needs the update as much as the map does.

Avoid relying on temporary businesses as the only landmark. If a shop changes, the route should still contain enough street or building information for the directions to remain understandable.

What to agree before publishing

Choose the relevant station or stop and describe the verified final route to the entrance. Name the exit where that distinction matters and use durable landmarks or street names rather than a business that may soon change. Ask a colleague unfamiliar with the route to follow it. If the practice provides an estimated walking time, confirm its basis and avoid presenting it as a guarantee for every visitor. The useful result is a route people can recognise at each decision point.

How to check the result

Someone arriving by public transport can identify the correct final approach without relying on a vague proximity claim.

A mistake to avoid

Do not copy an old route after an exit or crossing changes, or assume every visitor walks at the same pace.

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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