The launch coincides with the creation of Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, following the merger of North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust on 1 July 2026. The new organisation is one of the largest NHS trusts in England, serving patients across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire as well as providing a wide range of specialist services for people across the South West and from all over the country.
Developed in partnership with digital agency Big Blue Door, LocalNHS Drupal builds on the success of LocalGov Drupal, the open-source platform now used by more than 60 councils across the UK and Ireland.
Rather than each NHS organisation independently commissioning bespoke website functionality, LocalNHS Drupal has been designed to enable Trusts to collaborate around a shared platform, reducing duplication, accelerating innovation and allowing improvements to be shared across the wider NHS community.
The new Bristol NHS Foundation Trust website provides patients, visitors and healthcare professionals with a modern, accessible digital experience designed around the needs of NHS users. The platform incorporates AI-powered search technology to help people find information more quickly using natural language, alongside improved accessibility, responsive design and a flexible publishing platform for content teams.
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"
Paul Jenkins, Managing partner at Big Blue Door, 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."