Front desks in busy clinics answer the same question all day: which doctor is in today, and what time? Each call takes a minute, and each one interrupts the people who are already waiting. A timetable on the website, grouped by doctor and by day, answers most of those calls before they happen.
This article is general information. The medical ethics rules on advertising by doctors apply to everything you publish, so keep the content factual.
Build the timetable by doctor
List each doctor, their specialities and their days and times in a table or a simple list. Show the days the clinic is open, the sessions each doctor holds and any days a doctor is not available. A visitor should be able to see at a glance who is in on a particular day.
If a doctor works at more than one clinic, say so and show which hours apply to your clinic.
Keep it up to date
A timetable that's wrong is worse than none, because patients plan their trip around it. Decide who updates the timetable, and set a fixed time to check it each week. Update it on the same day you change a doctor's schedule, including for leave or a holiday.
Put a line at the top with the date the timetable was last updated, so a visitor knows whether to trust it.
Show the clinic's own hours and emergency arrangements
List the clinic's hours, and say whether appointments are needed. If the clinic has no emergency service, say so clearly, and tell the patient where to go in an emergency. Don't describe an emergency service you don't offer.
Avoid claims the rules don't allow
Medical advertising rules limit what a doctor can say. Avoid cure claims, guaranteed outcomes, rankings such as "the best doctor in the city" and comparisons with other clinics. Describe the doctors' qualifications, specialities and experience factually, and confirm the current rules with the relevant medical council before publishing.
If the clinic offers online consultations, check the telemedicine guidelines that apply before you describe that service.
Appointment requests
Ask for the patient's name, a phone number, the doctor they'd like to see if they have one, and the reason for the visit in a line. Say that a request isn't a confirmed appointment until the clinic replies with a time. A WhatsApp button helps, because many patients prefer to message.
Quick checklist
- List each doctor with their speciality, days and sessions in one table.
- Show the days a doctor is unavailable, such as leave or a day at another clinic.
- Put the date of the last update at the top of the timetable.
- Show the clinic's hours, and whether appointments are needed.
- State the emergency arrangements, or say that no emergency service is offered.
- Check the telemedicine guidelines before you describe any online consultation.
What to do next
The clinic websites page shows how a doctor timetable, the specialities and the request section usually fit together. A business website is the right base for your clinic, and the business websites page explains how one is laid out. Build the timetable from the front desk's own list of questions, since those are the questions the website needs to answer.