Case Study

Royal College of Physicians

Redefining the Royal College of Physicians’s Digital Presence for Modern Healthcare Needs

https://www.rcp.ac.uk/

The Royal College of Physicians partnered with Cantarus to modernise their digital presence using Umbraco CMS. The result is a high-performance, accessible, and user-centric website that significantly improves engagement, content discovery, and usability. This transformation sets a strong foundation for RCP’s continued digital growth.

Skills used

Development
Design
Accessibility

Sectors

Associations & Membership
Healthcare

Partner working on the case

Company:: Cantarus
Website:: https://www.cantarus.com
Type:: Platinum

Background

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) represents over 40,000 members worldwide, supporting the medical profession and improving patient care. For medical professionals seeking timely guidance, events, and resources, the digital experience plays a crucial role. RCP’s outdated site made it difficult for members to find what they needed quickly - impacting engagement and satisfaction. Key challenges included an inflexible legacy CMS, a complex membership journey, inefficient navigation, poor search functionality, and a lack of personalisation. Recognising the need for a digital transformation, RCP partnered with Cantarus to create a modern, user-friendly platform.

Solution

Cantarus collaborated closely with RCP to implement a series of strategic enhancements, leveraging Umbraco v13 to deliver a scalable and flexible platform. Key improvements included:

Streamlined Membership Process: Removing unnecessary account creation steps and replacing complex forms with a simplified user-friendly survey.

Upgraded CMS: Migrating to Umbraco v13 improved site performance, scalability, and content management ease.

Enhanced Search Functionality: The introduction of suggested search terms and filtering options improved content discovery.

Personalisation Features: Customised content delivery based on user type and login status increased engagement.

Revitalised Branding & UX: The refreshed site incorporated RCP’s 2022 brand update, dynamic UI elements, and a structured IA for improved navigation.

Multimedia Support: Optimised video and media elements to enhance digital engagement.

Impact

The new website has transformed RCP’s digital presence, with measurable improvements in user engagement and site performance:

Engagement Growth: Views per session rose from 1.7 to 4.5, and average engagement time increased from 36s to 2m 5s.

Optimised Performance: GTMetrix awarded the site an A-rating, based on its core web vitals and load speed.

Improved Accessibility: The site’s accessibility score jumped from 72 to 98, ensuring inclusivity for all users.

Simplified Website Management: RCP staff reported a significantly improved ability to manage content and create engaging digital experiences. The editorial team now has far greater autonomy, with flexible templates and simplified workflows that make day-to-day updates faster and more intuitive.

The new website now serves as a robust, future-ready platform that aligns with RCP’s mission while allowing for continuous evolution.

“We are thrilled with the transformation of our digital presence so far. Not only does it align with our values, but it sets the foundation for future growth. The improved design and functionality will undoubtedly enhance how our members engage and interact with our resources. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are now well-positioned for the future. We're looking forward to continuing to work with Cantarus going forward.”

Gareth Playford, Senior Digital Engagement Manager at the RCP