Multi-Location Healthcare Practices: One Website That Still Feels Local

Multi-location GP and dental groups often face the same challenge: how to run one central website that still feels genuinely local for each practice. Done well, your site can support NHS obligations, meet WCAG accessibility standards, and drive more bookings for every location – without confusing patients.

This guide focuses on UK healthcare providers (GP, primary care networks, multi-site dental, community services), and shows how to structure one website so that each location has its own “mini-homepage” and clear patient journey.

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Why “One Site, Many Locations” Is Worth Getting Right

A single, well-structured site offers:

• Consistent brand, clinical governance and compliance
• Easier NHS, GDC, CQC and ICO oversight
• Centralised analytics and marketing tracking
• Lower long-term cost than managing multiple sites

But patients still think in local terms: “My GP practice”, “the surgery on High Street”, “the dental clinic near the station”. Your job is to make the website reflect that mental model.

The solution: give each site a local mini-homepage, with clear navigation patterns that stop patients accidentally ending up on the wrong practice page.

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The 6 Essentials For Every Location Mini-Homepage

Each location in your group needs a dedicated landing page that works as a mini-homepage – not just a generic “branch profile”. This is especially important for urgent care information, accessibility, and NHS expectations around clarity for patients.

1. Core Contact and Address Details

This should be the first thing on the page, visually prominent and accessible to screen readers.

Essential elements

• Practice name as used locally (e.g. “Riverside Medical Centre – South Street Site”)

• Full postal address, formatted conventionally and marked up for assistive tech

• Click-to-call primary phone number on mobile

• Email or secure messaging link if used (e.g. NHS App, PATCHS, Klinik, eConsult) Practical tips

• Use structured data (schema) in the code to support accurate display in Google local results.

• Provide a “Check you’re on the right practice” line – e.g. “Serving patients in [neighbourhoods]”.

2. Opening Hours (Including Exceptions)

Patients search for opening hours more than almost anything else.

Make sure you include

• Standard weekly opening hours
• Separate sections for:
  • Phone lines vs doors open vs clinical appointments
  • Extended hours / evening clinics if relevant
  • Clear signposting for:
    • Bank holiday hours
    • Planned closures (staff training/PLT days)
    • Out-of-hours arrangements (NHS 111, 999, dental emergencies)

Practical tip

• On multi-location sites, hours must be per location, never shared in a generic “Opening Times” page that forces patients to hunt for their branch.

3. Parking, Transport and Access Routes

This is critical for older patients, disabled patients, parents with buggies, and carers.

Cover at minimum

• On-site parking:
  • Number of spaces (approximate is fine)
  • Blue Badge bays and time limits
  • Any parking charges or permit requirements
  • Local parking:
    • Nearest public car park
    • Street parking restrictions
  • Public transport:
    • Nearest bus stops and key routes
    • Nearest train/tram station if relevant
  • Cycle storage:
    • Bike racks, security notes

WCAG and NHS accessibility guidance expect you to make this information easy to find and easy to understand, especially for patients who may be anxious or have mobility issues.

4. Accessibility Information (WCAG and Real-World)

Accessibility is not just digital; it’s physical too. The website is where those two meet. Accessibility details to include

• Building access:
  • Step-free entrance / ramps
  • Door width and automatic doors
  • Lift availability (if multiple floors)
  • Internal environment:
    • Accessible toilets
    • Hearing loop availability
    • Quiet waiting space if available
  • Communication:
    • Interpreting services (including BSL)
    • Large-print documents on request
    • How to request communication support in advance
  • Web accessibility:
    • Link to your Accessibility Statement (required under UK public sector WCAG regulations for NHS sites)
    • Information on how to request information in alternative formats

This information should be per location – each site’s facilities will differ.

5. Map and Directions

A map reassures patients they’ve found the right place.

Best practice

• Embed a map that:
  • Works with keyboard navigation and screen readers
  • Has a clear text alternative (e.g. “Find us opposite [landmark]”)
  • Provide simple written directions from key points:
    • “From the town centre…”
    • “From the A1…”
    • “Nearest bus stop…”

Ensure the map and directions are unique to the location page and not a generic “find us” for the whole group.

6. Top Services / Treatments at That Location

This is where “still feels local” really matters. Different branches often have different services or clinics.

For GP and primary care

• Key local services:
  • On-site phlebotomy? Minor surgery? Sexual health? Health visiting?
  • Specialist clinics (e.g. diabetes, asthma, mental health support)
  • How to access:
    • Online consultation system link
    • Self-referral links (e.g. physio, talking therapies)
    • Whether you must be a registered patient

For dental and other providers

• Top treatments actually offered at that branch:
  • NHS vs private availability
  • Orthodontics, implants, hygiene, sedation, children’s dentistry, etc.
  • Clear calls-to-action:
    • “Book an appointment at this practice”
    • “Refer a patient to this clinic”

Use this section to differentiate locations – not to repeat generic marketing text.

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Keeping Shared vs Local Content Tidy

As groups grow, websites often become a muddle of shared and local content. Patients then struggle to answer a basic question: “Does this apply to my practice?”

The solution is to plan your content architecture deliberately.

What Should Be Shared Across the Group?

Some content must be centralised for governance and consistency. Use shared, group-level pages for

• Clinical governance:
  • Policies, safeguarding, complaints, privacy notice, data protection
  • Prescribing principles, chaperone policy, zero-tolerance policy
  • Group-wide information:
    • About the organisation, leadership, values
    • Quality and CQC information
  • Digital services:
    • NHS App, online consultation platforms, repeat prescriptions
    • Generic “how to request appointments” (if 90%+ consistent)

These should live under clear headings like “About Us”, “How We Work”, “Your Information”.

What Should Be Local to Each Practice?

Local content should live only on the location mini-homepage and clearly relate to that practice. Local content examples

• The 6 essentials listed above
• Local clinics and services that differ by site
• Named GP/dentist lists, photos, and specific clinic days (if you choose to publish them)
• Local patient participation group or local community projects

Where content differs even slightly, localise it. It avoids confusion and reduces clinical risk (patients acting on the wrong information).

Content Design Patterns That Help

To keep things tidy, use consistent patterns:

Location strip / selector

• A persistent bar or dropdown to switch locations:

  • “You’re viewing: Riverside – South Street” with a “Change location” link
  • Keep it visible in the header on desktop and near the top on mobile Template-based location pages

• Every location page follows the same structure:

  • Hero block with name, address, main CTA
  • Six essentials laid out in the same order
  • Local services and clinicians
  • Local news or alerts (optional)
  • This consistency helps patients learn the pattern once and reuse it.

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Mobile Navigation That Makes Sense

Most healthcare traffic is now mobile-first. For multi-location practices, this is where navigation can easily become confusing.

Core Principles for Mobile UX

Make “Choose your practice” unavoidable

• On first visit, show a simple, accessible selector:
  • “Which practice do you normally attend?” with a list of branches
  • Offer a “Remember this practice” option using cookies (with GDPR-compliant consent)
  • On subsequent visits, default to that location mini-homepage, with a clear “Change practice” link. Simplify the menu

Avoid deep nesting like “Locations → Region → Town → Practice”. On mobile, that becomes unusable.

Instead:

• Keep top-level items simple:
  • “Your Practice”, “Services”, “Help with Health”, “About Us”
  • Under “Your Practice”, show:
    • A short list of locations with key info (name + town)
    • The patient’s currently selected practice highlighted

Avoiding Common Confusion Traps

Trap: Shared services that look local

• Example: A “Book Appointment” button that actually goes to a generic group form

• Fix: Make the CTA location-aware:

• If a practice is selected, the form pre-fills the location and confirms it in the heading

• If no practice is selected, prompt users to choose one first Trap: Location pages hidden only in footer or map

• Fix: Make the “Locations” or “Our Practices” link prominent in both header and mobile menu.

• Include location links in key journeys: “Register with a GP”, “Book a dental appointment” forces practice selection early in the journey.

Accessibility on mobile navigation

• Ensure menus are fully operable by keyboard and screen readers
• Use proper focus states and ARIA attributes for expanding menus
• Avoid relying solely on colour to indicate “current practice”

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Who Updates What: Governance and Workflow

A multi-location website quickly becomes out of date if responsibilities are unclear. Incorrect information about opening hours, emergency arrangements or accessibility can directly impact safety and experience.

Define Ownership by Content Type

Central digital / communications team

• Owns:
  • Design, templates, navigation
  • Group-level policies and regulatory content
  • Global components (cookie banner, accessibility statement, privacy notice)
  • Responsible for:
    • Compliance with NHS England, WCAG, ICO, GDC (for dental), CQC website requirements
    • Consistent tone of voice and plain English

Practice managers / site leads

• Own:

  • Local hours and contact details
  • Local parking and access changes
  • Local clinic availability and services
  • Responsible for:
    • Prompt updates when hours change (e.g. training days)
    • Alerting central team to premises changes that affect accessibility Clinical leads / governance leads

• Own:

  • Clinical service descriptions and advice pages
  • Responsible for:
    • Ensuring service information is accurate, up to date, and not misleading
    • Approving new clinical content or pathways

Practical Workflow Ideas

Change request process

• Create a simple, standardised method for updates:

  • Web form or shared ticket system for “Website change request”
  • Required fields: practice, page URL, change requested, urgency, clinical sign-off if needed
  • Set service levels:
    • Routine updates within 5 working days
    • Safety-critical updates (e.g. temporary closure) same day Editorial calendar

• Quarterly review of:

  • Each location mini-homepage for accuracy
  • Key group pages (appointments, repeat prescriptions)
  • Annual check of:
    • Accessibility statement
    • Privacy notice and cookie information
    • Regulatory content (GDC, NHS, CQC where relevant)

This governance model protects you from outdated clinical or operational information while keeping local pages genuinely current.

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Tracking Per-Location Conversions and Performance

If you cannot see how each location performs, you cannot improve it. Multi-site groups often have good group-level analytics but no clear view of which practice is generating enquiries, registrations, or bookings.

Decide What Counts as a “Conversion” Per Location

For UK healthcare, typical per-location conversions include:

• GP:
  • New patient registration submissions
  • Online consultation requests initiated
  • Repeat prescription requests via the site
  • Dental:
    • New patient enquiries
    • High-value treatment enquiries (e.g. implants, Invisalign)
    • Online booking completions
  • Other providers:
    • Self-referrals (e.g. physio, mental health)
    • Referral form completions (from other clinicians)

Define a small set of primary conversions per location so you can measure them consistently.

Technical Approaches to Per-Location Tracking

Separate “thank you” pages per location

• Each location has its own confirmation URL:

  • /thank-you-south-street-registration
  • /thank-you-hilltop-dental-enquiry
  • Configure analytics goals for each URL, grouped by location. Hidden fields in forms

• Include a hidden field indicating location:

  • Automatically populated based on the mini-homepage the form was launched from
  • In your analytics or CRM, filter conversions by this field.

Call tracking (where appropriate and compliant)

• Use unique phone numbers per location (or call tracking numbers that route to the same line)
• Track call volumes and call outcomes per practice, being careful with GDPR and ICO guidance on call recording and consent.

Using the Data to Improve Local Pages

Once you have per-location conversion data, you can:

• Identify practices whose location pages underperform:
  • Fewer registrations or enquiries relative to list size and demand
  • Test improvements:
    • Clearer calls-to-action (“Book at [Practice Name]”)
    • More prominent phone number and hours
    • Adjusted ordering of services based on what local patients use most

For NHS and regulated environments, any experimentation must still respect accessibility and clarity, but small UX improvements can significantly increase successful patient journeys.

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Key Takeaways

Design one website that still feels local by:

• Giving each practice a mini-homepage with six essentials:
  • Address and contact
  • Opening hours
  • Parking and transport
  • Accessibility
  • Map and directions
  • Top local services/treatments
  • Separating group-level content (policies, governance, generic processes) from local content (hours, facilities, local clinics).
  • Building mobile navigation that:
    • Forces a clear practice selection
    • Keeps “Change practice” easy
    • Makes “Book” and “Register” location-aware
  • Defining who updates what:
    • Central team vs practice managers vs clinical leads
    • Clear change request process and review cycles
    • Setting up per-location tracking so you can see which branches convert and where patients struggle.

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Next Steps for Your Organisation

To put this into practice for your GP, dental or multi-location healthcare group, you can:

1. Audit your current site

• List all locations and check:
  • Does each have a proper mini-homepage?
  • Are the six essentials present and accurate?
  • Is it obvious which information applies to which practice?

2. Map shared vs local content

• Mark each page as:
  • Group-level only
  • Location-specific
  • Mixed (and plan to split mixed pages where possible)

3. Redesign your location template

• Create a standard layout for location mini-homepages:
  • Consistent structure and headings
  • Space for the six essentials plus local services
  • Ensure the template is WCAG-compliant and tested with real users, including people with access needs.

4. Improve mobile navigation

• Implement a clear practice selector and location-aware CTAs
• Test on mobile with actual patients or staff who are not involved in the project to identify confusion points.

5. Set governance and analytics

• Agree responsibilities and a simple change request process
• Implement per-location goals in your analytics
• Review data quarterly to improve weaker location pages

Handled well, a single website can serve your entire group, meet NHS and regulatory expectations, and still feel like a local, trusted practice to every patient who visits.