A Website That Calms Anxious Patients: Friendly Design for Older Eyes & Busy Minds

Creating a GP practice website that truly helps patients is about more than colours and logos. For many older or anxious people, your site is the first “waiting room” they enter. If it feels confusing, cluttered or cold, anxiety goes up and trust goes down. If it feels simple, friendly and familiar, patients feel calmer and more in control.

This article explains, in plain language, how to design an NHS‑compliant, WCAG‑aligned site that is kind to older eyes and busy minds—and how ClinicWeb builds these patterns in by default.

---

Why “Calming” Design Matters in UK Primary Care

A GP website is not just a brochure; it is:

• A clinical gateway for appointments, repeat prescriptions and care pathways
• A source of reassurance for people who are ill, worried or in pain
• A legal duty under NHS England digital accessibility standards and the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations

NHS digital accessibility standards require all patient-facing digital services to meet at least WCAG 2.2 AA and follow NHS service manual guidance on accessibility and usability. These standards exist precisely because many people have low vision, cognitive or learning difficulties, high anxiety, or a combination of these.

When you design for them first, the site becomes easier—and calmer—for everyone.

---

What Older and Low‑Vision Patients Need

Older and low‑vision users are often dealing with reduced eyesight, tremor, slower reading and memory, or multiple conditions. The law requires you to support them, but doing this well also reduces phone pressure and frustration.

Make everything big enough to see and tap

Buttons and clickable areas need to be both visually large and easy to press.

• Use large buttons with generous touch targets (at least 24x24 pixels, in line with WCAG 2.2 target size guidance).

• Give buttons clear labels like “Book an appointment” rather than “Continue”.

• Leave space around buttons so people do not tap the wrong thing. Before (hard to use):

• Tiny text links in a long sentence: “You can book online here or request prescriptions here.”

• Small “hamburger” menu on mobile, with no labels.

After (friendly):

• A big button row:
  • “Book an appointment”
  • “Request a repeat prescription”
  • “Get test results”
  • Each button full‑width on mobile, with plenty of space between.

ClinicWeb’s default layouts use large, NHS‑style buttons and meet the new WCAG 2.2 target size requirement across devices.

Use text that is comfortable to read

For many older users, small and faint text is simply unreadable.

• Use a base font size equivalent to about 16px or larger.
• Avoid long, thin lines; aim for shorter lines and plenty of spacing between lines.
• Provide strong colour contrast between text and background (meeting or exceeding WCAG AA contrast ratios).
• Use simple fonts without decorative flourishes.

Clear, obvious headings

Headings act like signposts for tired eyes and screen readers.

• Use clear, descriptive headings: “Opening hours”, “How to get an appointment”, “Repeat prescriptions”.
• Break long pages into short sections so users can skim.

Reduce visual clutter

Too many elements on the page can make it impossible to focus.

• Keep to a simple layout with plenty of white space.
• Avoid flickering banners, auto‑playing sliders, and rotating carousels.
• Limit colours to a clear, calm palette with one main accent colour for calls to action.

ClinicWeb follows the NHS Design System principles, using calm, predictable layouts that support older and low‑vision users as standard.

---

What Anxious or New Patients Need

Anxious patients often arrive at your site in a stressed state: worrying about symptoms, confused by NHS processes, or overwhelmed by choices. New patients may not understand “triage”, “eConsult” or “PCN”. Your website’s job is to lower cognitive load and guide them gently.

Make the next step obvious

An anxious person should not have to hunt for how to get help.

• Put a clear “Need help now?” section on the home page.
• Offer three primary options, for example:
  • “I feel very unwell or in pain”
  • “I need a routine appointment”
  • “I have a question about my medication”
  • For each option, describe what will happen next in one or two sentences.

Keep “In an emergency call 999” always visible

Emergency guidance must be immediate and constant.

• Show “In an emergency, call 999” and “For urgent but not life‑threatening issues, visit 111 online or call 111” in a slim banner at the top of every page.
• Make sure it remains visible even when scrolling, especially on mobile.
• Use plain, bold text, not an image, so screen readers can read it.

ClinicWeb includes a persistent emergency/urgent banner at the top of all patient‑facing pages, configurable to local services but always present.

Explain choices in plain language

Anxious users struggle with complex decision trees.

• Avoid forcing patients to choose between many clinical options.
• Write simple “step‑by‑step” explanations:
  • Step 1: Tell us what you need help with.
  • Step 2: We will tell you the best way to get help.
  • Step 3: We will contact you by text or phone.

Reduce form stress

Forms can feel like tests. To keep them calm:

• Ask for only essential information.
• Avoid making people enter the same information twice (aligning with WCAG 2.2 “redundant entry”).
• Use plain labels: “Your name”, “Phone number we can reach you on today”.
• Show how long it will take: “This form usually takes 3–5 minutes.”

ClinicWeb uses short, step‑by‑step forms with progress indicators and avoids unnecessary repeat fields.

---

Words to Use—and Words to Avoid

Plain language is a core part of NHS and WCAG guidance. It lowers anxiety by making sure patients understand what is being asked of them.

Words that reassure

Use everyday, friendly words that most people understand easily.

Helpful wording

• “Book an appointment”
• “Change or cancel an appointment”
• “Order a repeat prescription”
• “Test results”
• “How to get urgent help”
• “How to register with this GP practice”
• “We will usually respond by [time]”
• “We may offer you an appointment with a nurse, pharmacist or another member of the team”

These phrases are clear, predictable and match much of NHS.uk wording, which supports consistency.

Words that confuse or worry

Avoid jargon, acronyms and “NHS‑speak” unless you also explain them.

Unhelpful wording

• “Asynchronous online consultation”
• “Triage your request”
• “eHub / PCN / ICB / ARRS roles”
• “Do not attend (DNA)”
• “Non‑urgent queries should not be submitted via this channel”

Instead, translate these into what they mean for the patient:

• “You can tell us about your problem online. We’ll look at it and decide the best way to help you.”
• “You may be seen by a GP, nurse, pharmacist or another trained clinician in our team.”

Short paragraphs, short sentences

To support people with cognitive or reading difficulties:

• Keep paragraphs to 2–4 short sentences.
• Use bulleted lists for steps and options.
• Put important information at the start of a sentence (“Call 999 if…”).

ClinicWeb content templates are built around short, scannable text blocks and recommend practice‑friendly plain English that fits NHS style.

---

Where the Phone Number Should Live

For many patients, particularly older patients, phoning the practice is still the most familiar and trusted route. Hiding or burying the phone number causes real distress and increases complaints.

Make the phone number impossible to miss

Your main practice telephone number should appear:

• In the top right of the header on desktop (“Call us: 01234 567890”)
• In a fixed “Call the practice” button on mobile that is always visible
• On the home page above the fold, near opening hours
• On every “Contact us” and “Get help now” page, clearly repeated

The NHS digital accessibility standards also emphasise “consistent help”—contact options like phone, email or online forms should be in the same place on every page so users do not have to relearn where to find them.

ClinicWeb layouts place the phone number and “Contact the practice” link consistently in the header and footer, satisfying this consistency requirement.

Label phone options clearly

Many practices have multiple lines (reception, prescriptions, admin).

• Use plain labels:
  • “Main reception: 01234 567890”
  • “Prescription queries: 01234 567891”
  • Explain when lines are busiest and when they are quieter:
    • “Our phones are busiest between 8am and 10am. If your query is not urgent, please call after 10am.”

Never hide the phone in favour of digital

Online access is important, but the NHS must remain inclusive. People who:

• Do not have internet
• Have low digital skills
• Have learning difficulties or severe anxiety

may depend entirely on the phone. Your site should offer online options without making callers feel unwelcome.

---

Mock “Before and After” Screenshots

Below are simple text‑based mock‑ups showing how a page can move from confusing to calming. You can use this as a checklist when reviewing your own site.

Before: Confusing home page

• Small logo at the top, no emergency message.
• Busy slider with changing photos and text.
• Main content: a long paragraph of dense text about “our vision and values”.
• Tiny links buried in text: “click here” for appointments, “online consult” linking to a third‑party system with a different look and feel.
• Phone number only appears once in the footer, after several scrolls.
• No clear heading for “How to get help today”. After: Calming, patient‑friendly home page
• Top bar visible on every page:
  • “In an emergency, call 999”
  • “For urgent medical help, visit 111 online or call 111”
  • Clear main heading: “Welcome to [Practice Name]”
  • Three large buttons, above the fold:
    • “Get help for a health problem”
    • “Order a repeat prescription”
    • “Check our opening hours”
    • Short introduction paragraph: one or two sentences about how to get care.
    • “Call us: 01234 567890” in the top right and repeated in a “Contact us” box with opening hours.
  • Calm layout with strong headings:
    • “How to get an appointment”
    • “When to use 111 or 999”
    • “Information for new patients”

ClinicWeb templates are designed to produce the “after” view by default, so practices do not have to design these structures from scratch.

---

ClinicWeb’s Patient‑Friendly Page Layouts

ClinicWeb is built specifically for GP practices and healthcare providers, with NHS standards and WCAG 2.2 at its core. Many calming design choices are baked into the system, so staff do not need specialist digital skills. Appointment and access pages

• Standard sections for:
  • “How to get an appointment”
  • “Same‑day and urgent help”
  • “Online requests”
  • “Home visits”
  • Built‑in space for plain English explanations and realistic response times.
  • Clear calls to action: book, request, call, or use 111/999.

Emergency and urgent care messaging

• Persistent emergency banner with:

  • “In an emergency, call 999”
  • 111 guidance, always visible and accessible.
  • Clear separation between urgent and routine requests, reducing inappropriate use of urgent routes. Accessibility and older‑eye‑friendly defaults

• Large, accessible buttons and links that meet target size requirements.

• Colour contrast and typography aligned with NHS design and WCAG AA guidelines.

• Consistent placement of navigation, help options and the practice phone number on every page.

Content and wording support

• Pre‑written, editable content blocks that use:
  • Plain language
  • Short paragraphs and bullet points
  • Patient‑friendly explanations of NHS processes
  • Patterns that avoid cognitive overload, in line with WCAG 2.2 and NHS accessibility checklists.

This means practices can focus on clinical safety and local processes, while ClinicWeb ensures the site structure itself is calming, compliant and inclusive.

---

Practical Checklist: Turn Your Site into a Calmer Space

Use this list as a quick audit of your existing GP or clinic website.

Layout and navigation

• Large, clear buttons for the top 3–5 patient tasks.

• No auto‑rotating carousels or flickering banners.

• Consistent menu and layout across all pages. Text and language

• Font size comfortable on mobile and desktop.

• Short paragraphs, clear headings and bullet lists.

• Plain English: “Book an appointment”, “Order a repeat prescription”.

• All medical or NHS‑specific terms explained in simple language.

Emergency and urgent help

• “In an emergency, call 999” visible on every page.

• Clear information about 111 and when to use it.

• Obvious difference between urgent and routine routes. Contact and phone

• Main phone number in the header and on “Contact” pages.

• Phone number clickable on mobile (“tap to call”).

• Opening hours and best times to call clearly stated.

Accessibility and regulations

• Designed to meet WCAG 2.2 AA and NHS digital accessibility standards.
• Simple layouts with good colour contrast and clear focus states.
• Consistent position of help options (phone, forms, email) across pages.

---

Conclusion and Next Steps

A calm, patient‑friendly website is not a “nice to have”; it is central to safe, accessible care in UK primary care. By using large buttons, clear headings, short paragraphs, plain language, visible emergency guidance and ever‑present phone contact, you support:

• Older people and those with low vision
• Patients with anxiety, cognitive load or poor digital skills
• Busy staff, by reducing avoidable confusion and calls

ClinicWeb builds these patterns into every GP and clinic site by default, aligned with NHS guidance and WCAG 2.2, so you start from a strong, compliant foundation.

Next steps for your practice

• Review your current site against the checklist above.
• Identify pages where patients most often get “stuck” (appointments, contact, urgent help) and simplify them first.
• Standardise wording across your site to match NHS plain English patterns.
• If you are planning a new site or redesign, choose a platform like ClinicWeb that already follows patient‑friendly, accessible layouts, rather than trying to retrofit them later.

By making your website kinder to older eyes and busy minds, you make your whole practice feel safer, more approachable and more genuinely patient‑centred.