Brief

Create a sophisticated and dynamic website to connect both patients and professionals to essential information

Tobias and Tobias were invited to pitch for the development of the West London Cancer Network’s website. Like many of the 32 recently established Cancer Networks (2001) the West London Cancer Network required a solution which would provide access to information for both Patients and Health Care Professionals alike. The Patient Information channel needed to provide public access to information about cancer, the Cancer Network structure and the organisations which provide services within that Network. The Professional channel had to provide corporate administrative tools which could be used to manage meetings, post documents, consolidate contacts databases and provide access to a vast document library and meetings diary.

The solution also required a content management system which was easy to use and could be integrated into the Networks existing workflows as there was no budget allocation for additional staff to maintain the website.

Strategy & execution

Bring together four Cancer Networks on one dynamic platform

We proposed a radical solution which brought together four London Cancer Networks in the development of a single template based website and content management system which would serve as the foundation structure for the West, South East, South West, and North East London Cancer Networks.

The LCN website was designed as a series of templates which are populated by content created and edited using bespoke Administration tools. This content was served dynamically from a central database, on the basis of a user’s request and/or unique user profile. This unique approach to development enabled the participating Networks to produce a sophisticated and dynamic website along with a content management system which significantly improved their overall administration procedures. The content management system allowed each Network to define and build their own site without the need for any technical expertise.

The solution also offered the ability to manage a large document library, meeting schedules and an ever changing portfolio of research projects. All content in the system could be designated for either professional-only or full public access.

The project delivered each Cancer Network its own branded website with a unique address (URL), network-specific content and content management tools.

Results

Our solution enabled us to bring together four participating London networks, who by pooling their resources were able to build a website structure flexible enough to support their unique information and brand requirements in a highly cost-effective manner.