GP Practice Website Analysis
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Healthwatch Middlesbrough and Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland undertook review of 38 GP Practice websites across the South Tees region. Healthwatch South Tees volunteers and students from Connections College Middlesbrough completed an evaluation of each of the websites.
With consultation from NHS Digital, who are reviewing and updating GP Practice websites locally, the main aim of this review was to ensure inclusivity by involving volunteers with diverse perspectives, such as those with visual impairment, neurodivergent individuals and people with learning disabilities, evaluated these websites individually and as group work within a local college setting.
Most of the GP Practice websites had telephone contact available in various places on the website, including the homepage, drop-down menu, and search function. There is also information on GP Practice’s social media platforms and physical locations of practices which is helpful to those visiting or new to an area.
Over 65% of the pages did not have email information available and it is also therefore not possible to request other services by email, such as repeat prescriptions, fit notes, etc.
Whilst over 70% of GP Practice websites have information on how to register at the Practice, only 40% had this information on their homepages for those wanting to register temporarily, with over 15% not having this information available.
Over 75% of GP Practice websites have information on how to make an appointment on their homepage, people can also find this information elsewhere on the websites. However, for those caring for others, this was less easy to find, with almost 20% of websites not having this information available. It was also significantly less easy to modify or cancel an appointment.
A total of 19% of the Practice websites did not have information on how to make a comment, complaint, or compliment.
There are very few GP Practice websites which provide information on advocacy services or Healthwatch.
Whilst information was available in different languages on 76% of GP Practice website Homepages, there was a general lack of accessible information for BSL, Easy Read and Interpreters.