Public healthcare providers in Poland, since 2019–2020:
-> Hospitals, clinics and outpatient centres run by the state or local government
-> The National Health Fund (NFZ) and its regional branches
-> Sanitary and epidemiological stations
Their websites must meet WCAG 2.1 level AA and publish an accessibility statement.
Private clinics and practices?
-> The Polish Digital Accessibility Act covers public bodies, so it usually doesn’t apply to private providers.
-> Since 28 June 2025, the Polish Accessibility Act, which implements the European Accessibility Act, has been in force. It covers services sold to consumers online, so it may apply to a clinic that sells appointments or tests on its website.
-> It doesn’t apply to microenterprises: fewer than 10 employees and a turnover of up to €2 million.
Fines for a public provider:
-> Up to PLN 10,000 when a website persistently fails the requirements: no improvement across three consecutive inspections by the Ministry of Digital Affairs, while complaints keep coming in
-> Up to PLN 5,000 for a missing or incomplete accessibility statement
But those are far from the most serious consequences:
-> Losing patients’ trust. Anyone can ask a provider to make content from its website available to them. The provider has 7 days to do so, or at most 2 months in exceptional cases.
We’ve worked with the medical sector for years. We keep seeing the same pattern:
A beautiful logo, a website from 2012.
The hospital has a history, a reputation and excellent doctors, but the website looks as if it was built before smartphones became the norm. Not responsive, hard to read on a phone, unusable for people with disabilities.
Patients can’t book an appointment.
The website shuts patients out.
One in five Poles is over 65. Many have problems with sight, hearing or mobility. Eight million people in Poland live with some form of disability.
The most common gaps:
Some patients can’t get to healthcare. Not because they don’t want to, but because your website gets in their way.
A public provider is only fined when its website fails to improve over several consecutive inspections. The trouble usually starts more simply: a patient can’t book through the website, files a complaint and writes about it online. An accessible website closes that door.
Today:
-> 70% of internet users look for doctors and clinics on Google
-> Most of them use smartphones
-> People want to book online, without queuing at reception or dialling the same number 50 times
What a good website offers:
-> Online booking around the clock
-> Available appointment slots at a glance
-> Access to test results online
-> Clear information about location, opening hours and specialties
When the website works well, patients don’t call to ask “where are you” or “what are your hours”. They call to say “I’d like to book an orthopaedic consultation”.
Reception staff don’t have to repeat the same thing 100 times a day, and can focus on the harder cases.
Digital accessibility isn’t only a legal duty. It also says: “we look after every patient, whatever their abilities”.
A hospital with an accessible website shows that it:
-> Thinks about the needs of all its patients
-> Is modern and open to change
-> Takes access to healthcare seriously
A WCAG-compliant website is one Google indexes better:
-> Alternative text for images
-> A correct heading structure
-> Fast loading
-> Responsive layout
-> Clear forms
-> An accessible website = a visible website.
Patients want to know:
-> Which specialties are available
-> What the surgery hours are
-> How to book an appointment
-> Where you are (map, directions)
-> How much a private appointment costs
And the website shows:
-> Vague talk about “comprehensive care”
-> Stock photos of doctors (not yours)
-> Nothing specific
-> Five different menus, each leading somewhere else
-> “Services” tucked away under “About us”
-> Contact details only in the footer
-> No search
The patient gets lost, leaves and goes to a competitor.
-> Contrast too low (light grey on white)
-> No alternative text
-> No keyboard navigation
-> Forms without clear error messages
-> Not responsive (doesn’t work on phones)
This isn’t a “nice to have”. It’s digital exclusion, and against the law.
-> Flash (which stopped working years ago)
-> Not responsive (most traffic has been mobile since 2015)
-> Slow to load
-> Broken in Safari, Chrome or Firefox
Patients won’t wait 10 seconds for a page to load. They’ll close the tab and go elsewhere.
Before we start improving a website, whether in the medical sector or any other, we carry out a thorough audit of the current one.
We check:
-> Whether the website meets WCAG 2.1 AA (it almost certainly doesn’t)
-> What patients struggle with most
-> What works and what doesn’t
-> What you need (online booking? results online? a content management system?)
Every website we build is coded with accessibility in mind from the ground up:
-> A correct semantic HTML structure
-> Alternative text for every image
-> Sufficient colour contrast (at least 4.5:1)
-> Keyboard support (everything can be done without a mouse)
-> Clear forms with clear error messages
-> Responsive layout that works on phones, tablets and computers
-> Screen readers can read the whole site
We don’t bolt WCAG on at the end. We build with WCAG from the start.
For public providers the statement is a legal requirement. We write one that:
-> States the level of WCAG compliance
-> Gives the contact details of the person responsible
-> Lists alternative ways to get in touch (phone, a Polish Sign Language interpreter)
-> Sits somewhere easy to find (the site footer)
-> Is updated at least once a year
Hospitals and clinics rarely have professional photos. We provide:
-> Photo shoots on site (consulting rooms, waiting areas, staff, equipment)
-> Photos of the medical team (real doctors, not stock)
-> A video introducing the facility, for patients coming for the first time
The result?
Materials you can use on the website, on social media and in print.
A website isn’t “build it and forget it”. It’s a tool that needs:
-> Content updates (new doctors, changed hours, new services)
-> Security monitoring (attacks, vulnerabilities, updates)
-> Adjusting as regulations change
We provide:
-> Hosting and technical support
-> Regular system updates
-> Monitoring of uptime and loading speed
-> Help with adding content
-> Accessibility audits after every major change
-> Support with managing online booking
-> A website that works and that your team can easily edit end to end
For nearly 10 years we’ve been helping companies build consistent brands, brands that don’t suffer from a split personality.
We’re glad to see more and more medical providers who want to avoid that split personality. We know what the sector’s real problem looks like.
A beautiful logo, but a dreadful website.
Excellent medical care, but patients can’t book online.
Professional consulting rooms, but promotional materials that look like they’re from another clinic.
At Fluostudio we bring together what others keep separate:
-> +29% average increase in conversion rate
-> +35% increase in customer retention
We don’t do things just because they look nice. We create brands that are logical, consistent and memorable.
If your website:
-> Was built a few years ago and hasn’t been updated since
-> Isn’t responsive (doesn’t work on phones)
-> Has no online booking
-> Doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 AA
-> Has no accessibility statement
Then what you have isn’t a website. It’s a problem: you’re losing patients, and a public provider also risks a fine.
We can fix it.
Cookies
With your consent, we use Google Analytics and Hotjar to see how people use the site, and Google Ads to measure how well our ads work. Without consent, the site works just the same. You can change your choice at any time under “Cookie settings” in the footer. Details are in our privacy policy.
The fluo_zgoda cookie remembers this choice for 12 months. Cloudflare Turnstile protects the forms from bots.
Plausible counts visits without cookies or personal data, so it works regardless of this choice.
