Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Make Do partnered with DBTH in 2016 to completely redesign and rebuild their outdated website. Since launch, we’ve continued to support, host, and evolve the site including major updates during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep critical patient information accessible and up to date.
Client: DBTH NHS Trust
Visit Site: dbth.nhs.uk
The Trust is one of Yorkshire’s leading acute trusts, serving a population of more than 420,000 across South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire and beyond.
Like many NHS websites at the time, Doncaster and Bassetlaw’s old platform was difficult to manage, cluttered with outdated content, and frustrating for patients trying to find the information they needed. The legacy CMS was slow and cumbersome, leading to poor staff adoption and a poor user experience.
Make Do partnered with the Trust in 2016 to completely overhaul the website with a bespoke WordPress build focused on usability, accessibility, and long-term content governance.
Project Challenges
The previous site had:
- Hundreds of outdated or redundant pages, making navigation confusing
- A clunky CMS that slowed down staff publishing workflows
- A lack of patient-first navigation and search tools
- Poor accessibility for users with different devices or needs
The challenge was not only to modernise the site but to introduce content governance systems that would keep it relevant for years to come.
Our Approach & Implementation
Make Do spent over 12 months delivering this transformation, including a six-month build phase after an in-depth evaluation and audit of the old platform.
Key features included:
- Content Expiry System Pages could be given an expiry date so that outdated campaign or event content would automatically be archived or removed.
- Review & Governance Tools Staff could mark pages for review and decide whether to amend, delete, or republish, ensuring content never became stale.
- Patient-First Navigation & Search A brand-new search tool and simplified site structure allowed patients to find the right information quickly, whether on desktop or mobile.
- Custom WordPress CMS Build A bespoke theme and build gave NHS staff a familiar but streamlined editing environment, removing the barriers of the old CMS.
Outcomes & Benefits
The new site transformed the way Doncaster and Bassetlaw engage with patients and staff:
- Up-to-date information is guaranteed thanks to the expiry and review system
- Patients can navigate quickly and confidently with clear, accessible pathways
- Staff publishing is streamlined, reducing admin overheads and delays
- The site proved robust and reliable during the unprecedented demands of the COVID-19 pandemic
A Long-Term NHS Partnership
Our new website is easy to manage and has a clear and simple design which makes finding information simple. The Make Do team worked tirelessly with a challenging specification over a long period to make sure we had exactly what we wanted.
Our patients, staff and visitors absolutely love the new website!
Emma Shaheen – Head of Communications and Engagement
The project launched successfully in 2016, but our work with the Trust didn’t stop there.
- Continuous Updates & Improvements Over the years, we’ve helped introduce new features, design refinements, and technical updates to ensure the site evolves with patient and staff needs.
- COVID-19 Pandemic Support During the pandemic, the website became an essential communication tool. Make Do worked closely with the Trust’s communications team to ensure urgent updates—such as visitor guidance, vaccination information, and service changes—could be published quickly and displayed clearly.
- Ongoing Hosting & Support Make Do continues to host and support the Doncaster and Bassetlaw website, ensuring performance, accessibility, and security remain at NHS standards.
Expertise used…
WordPress Specialists, Design & UX, Custom WordPress Themes,
Services used…
