Online booking for physio and sports injury clinics: appointments, cancellations and the words you can use

This guide is for a UK physiotherapy, osteopathy or sports massage clinic with one to six clinicians that wants patients to book and pay online. It covers what each route costs, how an appointment works on a shop platform, what your website may say about treatment, and the data and consumer rules. Disclosure: we build Orbit Commerce, which has bookings built in, so weigh the Orbit parts accordingly. Every price and rule was checked against its source on 8 November 2026.

What are a physio clinic’s choices for online booking?

There are three routes, and they overlap less than they seem to.

Prices are from each company’s own pricing page on 8 November 2026. Cliniko charges by practitioner count, in US dollars: $45 a month for one and $95 for two to five, so the sterling cost varies. WriteUpp lists Solo from £27.95 a month and Group, for two or more clinicians, from £45.95. Jane lists Balance at £29 a month for one practitioner and up to 20 appointments a month, Practice at £44 and Thrive at £55, with online booking, reminders and charting on every plan; card processing is 1.5% + 20p. Treatwell charges commission on a new client’s first appointment only, states no rate on its partner page, and covers hair, beauty and massage.

The practice systems hold the clinical record, and that is where it should stay. The real comparison is the website: a practice system gives you a booking page on its domain and your website is a separate bill; a shop platform puts the website, shop, vouchers and bookings on one bill. Our hub on selling services online in the UK covers the general case.

How does an appointment work on Orbit?

Each treatment is a product with the Service type: an initial assessment, a follow-up or a sports massage. A 30-minute and a 60-minute sports massage are two services, because the length belongs to the service. You set the length, the places per slot, the notice in hours, a gap between appointments in minutes and, if you want one, a cancellation fee as a percentage with your policy in plain words, both shown on the treatment’s page. Opening hours and the time zone are set once, in Service Hours, for the whole clinic.

The patient picks a date and time on the treatment’s page and pays the full price at checkout. When the payment goes through, the booking lands on the Bookings calendar in your dashboard as Confirmed. They get a confirmation email with a calendar file, which they can also download from their account. From My Bookings they can reschedule, which offers only free slots for the next 30 days, or cancel, which shows your policy and the refund after any fee before they confirm. The refund goes back to their card. Your calendar shows each booking with the patient’s details and the order; you can block time, cancel and mark complete or no-show.

Settle four details as you set it up: clinicians, reminders, payment and records. A booking is for the treatment, so a patient who wants a particular clinician names them by email or at reception. Or you set up one service per clinician (“Sports massage with Priya”) and block that service on the days they are away; places are counted per service.

The confirmation email carries a calendar file, so the appointment sits in the patient’s calendar with its own reminder, and your practice system sends any text reminders you already use. The patient pays the full price when they book, and a deposit you agree by hand goes out as a payment link. The shop holds the name, contact details, the booking and the payment; the clinical record stays in your practice system.

Can you ask for symptoms in the booking form?

Best not to. The ICO lists data concerning health among the special categories of personal data, says it covers “any information on injury, disease, disability or disease risk”, and counts appointment details where they reveal something about health (ICO, what is special category data, checked 8 November 2026). So a booking for a sports injury assessment is already health data. Processing it needs a lawful basis under Article 6 and a separate condition under Article 9 (ICO, the rules), usually the health or social care condition for a clinician (ICO, conditions for processing).

So hold as little as you can on the website: name, contact details and the booking, with no “tell us about your injury” box. Symptoms, history and consent belong on your intake form or in your practice system, and your privacy policy should say so. On Orbit, customer data is hosted on AWS in London and can be exported or erased from the customer record on request.

Who regulates the clinic, and does the CQC apply?

• Physiotherapists: the HCPC. “Physiotherapist” and “physical therapist” are protected titles that only HCPC registrants may use (HCPC, the professions we regulate), and “chartered” means a qualified member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). Anyone can check the register.
• Osteopaths: the General Osteopathic Council. “It is against the law for anyone to call themselves an osteopath unless they are registered with the GOsC” (GOsC).
• Sports massage: no protected title. The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council’s register, accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, lists Sports Massage and Sports Therapy (CNHC). Say which register your therapists are on, and no more.

The CQC’s scope of registration page, updated 27 August 2026, sets it out (CQC, treatment of disease, disorder or injury): the regulated activity needs a listed healthcare professional, and the list does not include physiotherapists. It says “If you are one of these professionals and you run a standalone treatment service, you do not need to register.” Osteopaths and massage therapists are not on it either; doctors, dentists, nurses and paramedics are, so a clinic where a doctor gives injections should read the page and ask the CQC.

What can your website say about treatment?

Your website is advertising, so the CAP Code applies. Objective claims need evidence (rule 12.1). You must not discourage essential treatment for conditions that need medical supervision (12.2) or falsely claim to prevent or treat disease (12.6). The word “cure” is not generally acceptable (12.7), and you need proof before calling a therapy guaranteed (12.9) (CAP Code section 12, checked 8 November 2026). The HCPC’s standard 9.3, in force since 1 September 2024, adds that promotional activity must be accurate and not likely to mislead (HCPC standards of conduct, performance and ethics).

The ASA publishes what it is likely to accept. Physiotherapists: general aches and pains, arthritic pain, back pain, circulatory problems, cramp, digestion problems, joint pains, lumbago, muscle spasms, neuralgia, fibromyalgia, minor sports injuries and tensions; other conditions need documentary evidence, most likely clinical trials (ASA advice on physiotherapy). Osteopaths have a longer list, including backache, mechanical neck pain, migraine prevention and sciatica, and should avoid “Dr” without a medical degree (ASA advice on osteopathy). Massage: everyday stress, relaxation, sleep and wellbeing, with anything more needing clinical evidence (ASA advice on massage and body work).

What does consumer law say about bookings and cancellation fees?

An appointment booked online is a service bought at a distance, so the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 apply: healthcare is not among the contracts they exclude (regulation 6), and the fixed-date exemption covers accommodation, catering and leisure, not treatment (regulation 28). Four rules matter:

1. The 14 days run from the booking, not the appointment. For a service the cancellation period “ends at the end of 14 days after the day on which the contract is entered into” (regulation 30). A patient who books three weeks ahead and cancels a week later is owed a full refund, whatever your fee says; Orbit applies your percentage to every cancellation, so in that window refund the fee by hand from the order.
2. Appointments inside the 14 days need the patient’s express request. You may start within the period only if the consumer expressly asks. Once the service is fully performed on that request, with their acknowledgement that the right is lost, the right ends. Without the cancellation information, they pay nothing (regulation 36). Put one sentence on the treatment page and in your terms: by booking a date within 14 days you ask us to provide it in that period.
3. Say the right exists. If you do not tell customers about it, “they can cancel at any time in the next 12 months” (gov.uk, online and distance selling for businesses; regulation 31).
4. The fee has to be fair. Schedule 2 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lists as potentially unfair a term that keeps sums paid when the consumer cancels, or makes them pay “a disproportionately high sum” (Consumer Rights Act 2015, Schedule 2). The CMA’s guidance, updated 22 July 2026, has the detail (CMA37). A fee that reflects a slot you could not refill, shown in plain words before payment, is more likely to be fair. This is general information, not legal advice.

How do you state which insurers you work with?

Many patients pay for themselves, and online booking suits them. Insurers recognise therapists individually and list them in their own directories, such as Bupa’s Finder, “our comprehensive online directory of Bupa recognised consultants” and therapists (Bupa Finder). So write about recognition, not cover: “Our physiotherapists are recognised by Bupa and other insurers. Check your policy and get an authorisation number before your first visit. Any excess or shortfall is yours to pay.” Never write “covered by your insurance”. If you bill an insurer directly, take those bookings by phone, because an online booking is paid in full at checkout.

The rest of the site: shop, vouchers, conditions pages, team and reviews

A small shop. Bands, rollers and supports are ordinary physical products with stock and sizes. Goods bought online carry a 14-day right to return from delivery; our guide to UK returns law covers who pays the postage.

Gift vouchers. Sell them in amounts that match your treatments, so a £60 voucher buys a 60-minute massage. On Orbit each amount is a variant, the code is emailed to the recipient when the payment clears and redeemed at checkout, and any balance left stays on the card. Expiry terms must be fair too, as our guide to selling services and gift cards explains.

Conditions pages. General information only, within your profession’s ASA list, no medicines or doses, each ending: “This is general information, not a diagnosis. If you are worried, book an assessment or speak to your GP. In an emergency call 999.”

The team page. Each clinician’s name, title, register and registration number, with a link to the register so a patient can check.

Google reviews. Since 6 April 2025 fake reviews are banned and website hosts are accountable for the reviews on their pages (gov.uk, 6 April 2025). The CAP Code adds that incentivised reviews must be made clear and factual claims in a testimonial must not mislead (CAP Code rules 3.45 to 3.49). Show Google reviews as they were left, and do not pull out the one that says “cured”.

Where Orbit fits

Orbit is the website, shop and booking side; the clinical record stays in your practice system. On Solo, £25 a month or £19 a month billed yearly, ex VAT, you get:

• Service products and the Bookings calendar, with no fee per booking.
• Gift cards and physical products.
• The page builder for conditions and team pages.
• A blog on your own domain.
• Two-factor sign-in with a passkey or an authenticator app.

A booking is paid at your plan’s card rate, 2% + 25p for a UK personal card on Solo, with nothing added on top. The Google Reviews plugin, priced on its listing, shows up to five of your Google reviews as they were left. The theme store lists free and premium themes by industry; pick one for a clinic and change its colours, fonts and logo in the dashboard. Keep your practice system for notes and reminders; our hub on selling services online in the UK has the wider picture.

Read next: booking tools compared for a service business, selling lessons online and gift cards for a small shop.

Questions people ask about online booking for physio clinics

Can a physio clinic take bookings and payments through an online shop?

Yes. Each treatment is a service product with a length, places, notice, a gap and a cancellation policy. The patient picks a date and time, pays in full at checkout and gets a confirmation and a calendar file, and the booking lands on your dashboard calendar. Notes stay in your practice system.

Does a physiotherapy clinic need to register with the CQC?

Usually not. The CQC’s scope of registration page, updated 27 August 2026, says the professionals who trigger the regulated activity do not include physiotherapists, and a standalone service run by a physiotherapist need not register. If a doctor, nurse or paramedic treats patients at your clinic, ask the CQC.

Can I charge a cancellation fee for a physio appointment booked online?

Yes, within two limits. A patient who books online has 14 days from the day they book to cancel for a full refund, unless the appointment happens inside that window at their express request. After that a fee is lawful if it is fair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015: it should reflect a slot you could not refill and be shown before payment.

Can I ask patients about their injury on the booking form?

Best not to. Information about injury, disease or disability is special category data under UK GDPR, and the ICO says even appointment details count where they reveal something about health. Take only the name, contact details and the booking online; take the history in the clinic.

Can my website say physiotherapy treats a named condition?

Only conditions the ASA is likely to accept for your profession, or ones you hold clinical trial evidence for. For physiotherapists the list includes back pain, joint pains, arthritic pain, muscle spasms and minor sports injuries. “Cure” is not generally acceptable.

Set up one treatment as a service product and book it yourself: Orbit’s 14-day free trial, no card required, is long enough to build the treatments page, a voucher and the team page.