Setting Up

This page is a task list for you for after you have signed up to GPUK.net websites. It guides you through what you need to do before advertising your website to your patients. We set you up with a standard website design, which includes details specific to your practice, but you probably want to personalise it further.

1. Admin Page
   
2. Register a Free .nhs.uk domain name
   
3. Practice Logo
   
4. Change Colours and Style
   
5. Change the Text on the Pages
   
6. Edit the Menu Items
   
7. Set up Email addresses
8. Check all Details
9. Setup Prescriptions, Appointments etc
10. Submit a Feature Request
11. Advertise to your Patients

Admin Page

The "Control Centre" for your website is your Admin Page. This provides a menu of options to provide configuration and setup of all the features of your website. Go and browse the options now. They each include some instruction on the pages themselves, as well as links to help files. For security you will need your admin password even to access some of the screens, and you will need both admin password and admin codename to make any changes.

Domain Names

Register a .nhs.uk name for your website. It is free, but it takes up to ten days to process, so do it straightaway and then it will be ready for when you want to lauch your website. Follow the instructions at .nhs.uk website name registration

Logo

The top left of the pages show a small picture or logo. We put there for you a simple logo, but if you have a practice logo it would be much better to use that.

A simple line drawing works well, and blends particularly well with a coloured menubar if you manipulate the logo with graphics software to give it a transparent background e.g. see www.woodbanksurgery.nhs.uk.

Other logos are also suitable, as may be pictures. You must prepare your logo in gif format (convert it with graphics software if necessary) and upload it to your logos directory using the file upload utility on your Admin page.

Change Colours and Style

On your admin page you have many utilities to configure and maintain your website. None of these require any technical skills such as html coding, you just point and click, and type in any text that you want to display on your pages.

To setup the colours and style the quickest way is to use the Standard Styles option on the Admin page. This shows you a selection of colour schemes and you just click next to the one that you want to try. If you don't like the result then return to the page and try another one.

Alternatively, it's up to you, you could use the more detailed options to set each part of the style indivdually - choose a specific background colour or texture, choose a different menubar colour, choose a different stylesheet to give you a different font or colour, and so on. If you get yourself in a mess doing this, you may retrieve the situation by selecting one the standard styles to get you a sensible starting point for further tinkering.

Change the Text on the Pages

Whilst the text that we put on your pages includes the necessary introduction and warnings, you may well want to amend it to suit your particular practice. You can amend most or all of the text on every page, and we provide editing boxes onscreen for you to do this (or if you prefer you may prepare text files in advance and upload them, see the help screen for details). See the "Features Setup and Maintenance" section on your Admin page for the links to the text editing utilities and instructions.

You do not have to edit any of the text, it may suit you as it is. Read each page and see if you want to change anything.

You may add extra pages if you have a need for them, examples include practice profile, staff, local geography, audit reports, deputising arrangements, all sorts of possibilities. The Admin page includes a utility for you to add extra pages and immediately edit them using our automated editors.

One special type of extra page is a web-to-email form, which enables patients to email you without your necessarily disclosing your email address.

Set up a new automated form using the new page creation link on the Admin page. Select a page with an email form. Set up your text to describe the use of the form to your patients. Then link it to your menubar with an appropriate description.

To use the form requires the patient to complete their identifying details. The form gives them a box in which to type their message, and when they press submit (provided they have entered valid details) their message is emailed to your reception.

Edit the Menu Items

See the "Menubar Maintenance" section on your Admin page. You may add/remove the menu links to the main features of the website (appointments, prescriptions, etc), and you may also add links to pages that you created yourself.

To create subsections of your website relating to a particular topic you may add menubar links to pages of that section alone. This creates a "corner" of your website devoted to one topic, without crowding the menu on every page.

Setup of Email Addresses

For the correct operation of the repeat prescription, appointments, and registration systems, correct setup of your email is very important. We provide detailed instruction on configuring GPUK.net email settings and configuring your practice email system.

Please read and implement both of the above pages if you intend to use any of the systems that require email. Note that you do not have to offer email contact, and that your website is setup not to disclose your email address unless you opt to do so, so you can get by without configuring your email just yet. But if you want to use the extra features, and if you want to allow your patients to contact you via your website, you should refer to the instructions on those pages.

Check all Details

Recheck every page for errors, mispelled names, etc. Especially check the spelling of staff and doctors names, since it will cause difficulties with the appointment system later if you start off with mispelled names.

Setup, or disable, appointments, prescriptions, etc

Decide which services you want to offer initially. If you have setup your email correctly you can use the special systems of GPUK.net for repeat prescriptions, appointments etc. But maybe you don't want to rush it all at once. A good idea is to start with repeat prescriptions only. This is less time sensitive than appointments and easier for your staff. Once this is working well then you could start using the appointments system.

Whichever systems you want to use, configure them as per their help pages and admin pages. Whichever you do not want to use, you may remove them from the menubar if you wish, or you may leave them there to advertise future availability whilst leaving the "Demo" notices on the actual pages.

Submit a Feature Request

If you are are wanting a particular feature but we don't appear to provide it, email request@gpuk.net and ask about it.

Advertise your Website

Announce your website to your patients. Put a notice in the waiting room or on the front door. Amend the message on your repeat prescription slips.