The Situation
Patients arriving via GP referral would google the clinic before their appointment. What they found was a dense, text-heavy website from 2016 with stock photos of stethoscopes, six levels of navigation, and no way to book online. Many called instead — creating a phone backlog that frustrated both patients and reception staff.
The Turning Point
A patient survey revealed that 40% had nearly cancelled their appointment after seeing the website. The clinic was losing trust before patients even arrived.
What We Did — And Why
We interviewed 12 patients about their journey from referral to consultation. The insight was simple: patients want to know who will be treating them, what to expect, and how to confirm their appointment. We redesigned navigation around conditions ('I have chest pain') rather than specialties ('Cardiology'). Each consultant got a dedicated page with their background story, approach to patient care, and genuine patient testimonials. A real-time booking widget replaced the phone number as the primary CTA.
Our Approach
- 1.Patient journey mapping to redesign navigation around conditions, not specialties
- 2.Specialist profile pages with credentials, approach, and patient reviews for each consultant
- 3.Integrated booking widget replacing 'call to book' with real-time availability calendar
The Results
Online bookings tripled. Average session duration quadrupled — patients were spending time reading about their consultant rather than bouncing in frustration. Phone enquiries dropped 68% as patients self-served through the website.
In Their Own Words
“Medicine is about trust. We learned that the website either builds or destroys that trust before the patient walks through the door.”