How do I create a website for my private GP service?

What patients need to find

Most patients will read your site on a phone, often straight from a search. Within a few seconds they want to know whether you can help, where you are, what it costs and how to book. Plan these pages first:

• Home. One sentence on what you offer and who for, your location, and a booking button.
• Services and prices. A page or section for each main service, with the price, the appointment length, what is included and what costs extra, such as tests. See how much to charge.
• About the doctor. Your name, GMC number, qualifications and experience, described accurately. Avoid calling yourself a “specialist” unless you are on the GMC Specialist Register for that field.
• Book. Online booking that shows real availability.
• Location and hours. Address, map, parking or transport, accessibility and opening hours.
• Contact. How to reach you, how quickly you reply, and clear advice to call 999 in an emergency or use NHS 111 when you are closed.
• Fees and terms. Payment, cancellation and refund terms.
• Complaints. How to complain and where patients can go next. See managing complaints.
• Privacy notice. How you use patients’ personal data.

What the rules require

Requirement	What to do	Source of the rule
Privacy information	Publish a clear privacy notice and show it when you collect data, for example on booking forms	UK GDPR (ICO guidance)
Cookies	Ask for consent before setting non-essential cookies, such as most analytics and advertising cookies	PECR (ICO guidance)
CQC rating (England)	Once rated, show your current rating and a link to your CQC report, within 21 days of publication	Regulation 20A
Company details	If you trade as a limited company, show the full company name, registered number, registered office and where it is registered	Companies House rules
Prices	Show the full price, including any unavoidable fees, and do not mislead with “from” prices	CAP Code and consumer law
Claims and medicines	Make only claims you can evidence, and never name or show prescription-only medicines	CAP Code, Human Medicines Regulations 2012
NHS branding	Do not use the NHS logo or imply NHS endorsement for private services	NHS identity guidelines

If you are not yet rated, do not display a rating or describe yourself as “CQC approved”. You can say you are registered with the CQC for the activities you are registered for. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, independent healthcare is regulated by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the RQIA respectively, so check what your regulator expects. For the full advertising rules, see advertising medical services.

Booking and payment

Online booking turns a visit into an appointment. The simplest set-up uses the booking link or widget from your practice management or record system, so the diary on your site is the diary you work from. Look for:

• real-time availability for each appointment type and clinician
• payment at booking, or at least card details, with your terms shown before payment
• automatic confirmations and reminders
• a way for patients to cancel or rebook within your rules.

Avoid collecting clinical information through a general website contact form or plain email. Use the secure forms or questionnaires in your practice system instead, and make sure any form is covered by your privacy notice. See collecting payment.

How to build it

Option	Suits	Trade-offs
Website builder (for example Wix or Squarespace)	A solo GP starting out	Quick and cheap, but you do the writing, updates and search basics yourself
Freelance designer on a builder or content management system	A practice wanting a stronger look	Higher upfront cost, and you depend on them for some changes
Agency	Multi-clinician or multi-site practices	Most expensive, and quality varies

Whichever you choose:

• Register the domain in your own or your company’s name, and keep the logins.
• Make sure you can edit prices, hours and services yourself.
• Check it on a phone, with large text and fast loading.
• Aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, so that disabled patients can use it.

Content that helps you be found

• Write one clear page for each main service, in plain language, with the location and price.
• Answer the questions patients ask before they book, such as “Can you refer me to a specialist?” or “Will my NHS GP get a letter?”
• Use your own photos of the premises and team, not stock images that could mislead. Get written consent from anyone pictured.
• Put the same name, address and phone number on your site as on your Google Business Profile.
• Date any health information and review it regularly.

After launch

Check each month which pages people visit, where they come from and how many go on to book, using analytics set up with cookie consent. Update prices and services the day they change. A website that is out of date on price is a complaint waiting to happen. For how the website fits your wider plan, see marketing strategy and creating a brand.