Bristol NHS Foundation Trust launches first LocalNHS site

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust has launched a website built on LocalNHS Drupal, becoming the first NHS organisation to use the open-source platform.

The launch coincides with the trust beginning operations as a new organisation following the merger of North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust. The combined trust is one of the largest in England, serving patients across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, while also providing specialist services across the South West and beyond.

LocalNHS Drupal was developed with digital agency Big Blue Door and is based on LocalGov Drupal, a platform used by more than 60 councils across the UK and Ireland. The aim is to let NHS bodies share common website functions rather than commission separate systems for similar needs.

The approach reflects common demands across the health service. NHS organisations need to publish large volumes of information on appointments, services, locations and visiting arrangements, while keeping websites accessible and manageable for communications teams.

The Bristol site brings content from the two former trusts into a single digital platform. Designed for patients, visitors and healthcare professionals, it includes search tools that let users ask questions in everyday language and receive answers based on content published on the website.

The organisations involved say the platform also includes responsive design, accessibility features and publishing tools for internal content teams. The wider aim is to create a common base that other NHS organisations can adapt and improve through shared development.

Elliot Nichols, Chief Communications and Engagement Officer at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said: "As a newly formed trust, we wanted our new website to reflect the scale of our ambition and make it as easy as possible for people to access the information and services they need. By becoming the first NHS organisation to launch a website built on LocalNHS Drupal, we're not only improving the experience for our patients, visitors and staff, but also helping to pioneer a collaborative approach that has the potential to benefit NHS organisations across the country."

Shared model

LocalGov Drupal has been adopted across local government as a shared open-source website platform. LocalNHS Drupal applies the same model to the health sector, with the intention that improvements made for one organisation can be used by others.

For NHS trusts, this could reduce repeated spending on core website functions common across the sector. Instead of running separate procurements for similar tools, organisations could adopt a common framework and contribute changes back to a wider pool.

Paul Jenkins, Managing Partner at Big Blue Door, said: "This is much more than the launch of a new website. It's the first implementation of a platform designed to help NHS organisations collaborate in the same way that councils have through LocalGov Drupal.

"LocalGov Drupal has shown what can be achieved when public sector organisations work together instead of solving the same problems independently. We're excited to bring that same collaborative, open-source approach to the NHS, and we're incredibly proud that Bristol NHS Foundation Trust is leading the way."

Wider adoption

The development team plans to make the platform available more widely to NHS organisations. Under the open-source model, trusts adopting the system would be able to contribute updates and draw on changes made elsewhere in the community.

The approach may appeal to public bodies under pressure to improve digital services while controlling costs and avoiding duplicated work. It also reflects a broader trend in government technology towards shared platforms and community-led development.

Big Blue Door said LocalNHS Drupal had been adapted for the specific requirements of NHS organisations rather than copied directly from local government. Those requirements include handling large and complex service information, supporting varied user groups, and giving content teams tools to manage websites consistently across large institutions.

Jenkins said: "The best public sector technology is built in the open. We hope LocalNHS Drupal becomes a platform that the NHS community can shape collectively, creating better digital services for patients, staff and visitors across the country."