Although you may already be aware that your healthcare organisation needs to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) if you are carrying out Regulated Activities, you may not be aware that your website needs to comply with the CQC too.

HLTH Digital can support you to ensure that your existing website is compliant with the CQC’s standards, or we can build you a new one that is fully compliant straight away.

Here we outline what the CQC is looking for from your website and how we can help.

CQC Requirements

The CQC outline that all healthcare providers must meet certain criteria in order for their websites to be fully compliant.

Officially, the commission will only ask you to clearly display your CQC Performance Assessments results on your site. This is set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: Regulation 20A and states that the result must be clearly visible as to attract attention.

The CQC have developed a widget that can be embedded in the providers website directly from their CQC page, which can be accessed here.

Other Requirements

Although not legally required, there are certain features that should be included on your website to ensure it is fully functioning and showcases the very best of your business.

It is generally required that your website includes a well-informed and well-written homepage as well as other pages that explain your services and/or pricing in a bit more detail. You can think of this like a brochure which highlights what your service offers and why potential clients should choose you.

Optional features of your website include:

• About Us – showing your staff directory and bios
• Services page
• Contact Us page
• COVID-19 Information and Processes page
• Link to your Statement of Purpose.

NHS or Public Sector Website

If you are running an NHS or public sector website, it must meet certain regulations.

Firstly, your website or app must be accessible for everyone and comply with the guidance as set out in Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. Here, it highlights the importance of ensuring that your website or app is able to be used by those who need it the most.

Common problems with websites that do not meet accessibility requirements are those that include the following:

• Not easy to use on a mobile
• Cannot be navigated using a keyboard
• Inaccessible PDF forms that cannot be read out on a screen reader
• Poor colour contrast, making it difficult to read

The accessibility regulations stipulate that you must make your website or mobile app “perceivable, operable, understandable and robust”.

Another requirement is that you must ensure you include and update an accessibility statement on your website.

Your website must also build on your existing obligations to those with disabilities, as set out in the Equality Act 2010.

Collecting Customer Data

An important note to make is that if you are collecting any form of customer data on your website, most notably through ‘Contact Us’ forms, email questions or appointment bookings, you will need the Cookies Permissions pop-up on your landing page.

When we set up your website as part of our website development service, we will always ensure that your website meets the necessary requirements to be fully compliant with any privacy regulations, including Cookie Permissions as standard.

To find out more about how we can help you create a fully compliant and efficient website for your healthcare organisation, contact the HLTH Digital team today.