Tell patients which questions they must answer

What to change

Agree which information reception needs, then ask the supplier to make required and optional questions clear before anyone attempts to send the form.

A worked example

Illustrative example

An optional organisation field can remain blank on a personal enquiry. The email field identifies its requirement before the visitor attempts to continue.

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.

Why this matters to your practice

Decide what reception actually needs before deciding which boxes must be completed. Every compulsory question should have a purpose that you can explain. A business name might be useful for a corporate enquiry but irrelevant to someone asking about an appointment. Ask your supplier to make that distinction obvious in the form. A short explanation near the question can also help where the reason is unclear, such as why a callback number is needed for telephone contact.

How to check the result

Accept when the visible form, accessibility tools output and submission behaviour agree on which questions require an answer.

A mistake to avoid

A global sentence saying all fields are required becomes misleading as soon as one genuinely optional question is added.

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 discussList every required field in the current form. Compare the actual submission rules with the labels and the explanation shown before the first field.Leave each optional field blank in turn and complete a test submission. Ask the supplier to remove any hidden requirement that contradicts the displayed form.Ask your supplier to demonstrate this check with you: listen to representative fields with a screen reader (software that reads the page aloud), including a grouped choice question. Required status should accompany the correct question without repeating confusing instructions.

Your answers and notes

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

What happens next, and who will do it?

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.

Related guides

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