Doctor's Rooms in Brunswick Online in One Afternoon: A Before and After

Before: a medical practice in Brunswick answers the same calls all morning. Is the doctor taking new patients? Is there parking? What are the hours on Saturday? After: a simple page answers most of them. Here is how to get from one to the other in a single afternoon.

Step 1: List the questions

Ask reception to note the calls for two or three days. Clinics will see patterns such as new patient enquiries, how to book and what to bring. Pharmacies will see questions about opening hours, scripts and delivery. Physiotherapists will see questions about referrals and how long a first visit takes.

Step 2: Write short, plain answers

One or two sentences each. Name the suburb you serve, whether that is Brunswick, Fitzroy or Carlton, because patients search close to home. Mention the nearest tram stop or train station, since many people travel without a car.

Step 3: Keep health claims out

Describe the services, the people and how to book, and leave the rest to the consultation. Patients trust a practice that explains itself calmly.

Step 4: Publish and test

Create a free page for your practice and read it on a phone. Ask someone outside the practice to find the opening hours in ten seconds.

After: what changes

New patients arrive knowing how booking works. Reception spends less time repeating hours and directions and more time with the people at the desk. A pharmacy sees fewer calls about whether it is open on the public holiday, because the page already says.

Details Melbourne patients look for

Melbourne is a city of many languages and many routes to the door. Patients in Brunswick or Carlton often want to know whether a practice has an interpreter or staff who speak their language, whether the entrance is step-free and whether there is bike parking as well as street parking. If your practice is close to a Sydney Road tram stop, say so. A parent booking for a child may also want to know whether urgent same-day appointments are held back each morning, so a short line on how those work saves a call.

What to include

• Services in everyday language
• Address, tram stop and parking notes
• Hours and how to book
• Languages spoken

None of this calls for a designer. It needs the knowledge your team already has, written down once and kept accurate.