To keep patients through a clinic relocation, start telling them about 60 days before the move, keep the same phone number, update your existing Google Business Profile address rather than creating a new one, and tell every patient due in the move weeks personally. Put signage at the old address, send the location pin with every booking, and track first-month numbers to spot patients who did not follow.
Picture a paediatrician moving her clinic three kilometres, from a cramped first-floor space to a bright ground-floor clinic with parking. Better for every parent. Now say that in the first month, her OPD drops by almost a third.
Nothing is wrong with the new clinic. Parents go to the old address, find it locked, and walk into the clinic next door. The Google listing still shows the old pin. The landline number has changed. And the vaccination reminders go out with the old address.
Moving is one of the few times a clinic can lose loyal patients without doing anything wrong in care. Here is a 60-day plan to stop that.
What is the biggest mistake clinics make when they move?
They treat it as a construction project, not a patient project. The interiors get 60 days of attention. The patients get one WhatsApp blast the week before.
Your patients' habit is attached to a place: the turning, the building, the parking spot, the chemist downstairs. Moving breaks that habit. Your job is to rebuild it before the old one is gone.
What should the 60-day plan look like?
Here is the plan I suggest. Adjust the timing to your move date.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Day 60 to 45 before | Confirm the move date. Decide to keep the same phone numbers. Brief the whole team on what to say to patients |
| Day 45 before | Start telling every patient at the counter. Hand a small printed card with the new address, a landmark and a map. Add a line to every WhatsApp appointment confirmation |
| Day 30 before | First message to all patients who consented to clinic updates: date, new address, landmark, why you are moving, same phone number. Inform referring doctors, labs, pharmacies and hospitals where you consult |
| Day 21 before | List every patient due for a visit in the two weeks after the move. The desk calls each one personally |
| Day 14 before | Prepare the Google Business Profile change, website, directory listings and printed material. Order signage for the old location |
| Day 7 before | Reminder message to consented patients with the location pin. Brief the team on handling calls from confused patients |
| Move day | Update the address on Google and the website the day you open at the new place. Signage up at the old address |
| Days 1 to 30 after | Location pin with every booking confirmation. First-month checks (below) |
Why does keeping the same phone number matter so much?
Because patients don't search for you every time. They call the number saved as "Dr Kulkarni Child Clinic" in their phone. That number is on prescription pads, vaccination cards, old WhatsApp chats and in referring doctors' contacts.
If you must change a landline, arrange call forwarding from the old number for as long as your provider allows, and keep the mobile and WhatsApp numbers exactly the same. In my experience, a changed number causes more lost patients than a changed address.
How do you update your Google profile without losing it?
Edit the address on your existing Google Business Profile. Do not create a new profile for the new address. A new profile starts from zero and can leave the old one showing up in search, sending patients to a locked door.
A few practical points:
- Make the change when you actually open at the new place, not weeks before, so patients aren't sent to an unfinished clinic.
- Google may ask you to verify the business again at the new address. Plan for it and keep someone available to complete it quickly.
- Check that the map pin sits on the right building entrance, not the middle of the road.
- Update photos so patients recognise the new entrance and signboard.
- Put the new address on your website, other directory listings, prescription pads and letterheads the same week, so everything matches.
How should you tell patients about the move?
Keep the message short, warm and useful. Here is an example for a paediatric clinic:
"Dear parents, from 1 March, Dr Kulkarni's clinic is moving to a new, bigger ground-floor space with parking: Shop 4, Green Park Plaza, opposite the petrol pump, Baner Road. Same phone and WhatsApp number. Your child's records move with us. Map: [location pin]. See you there."
No "grand opening" deals. The reason to follow you is your care, not a promotion, and the NMC guidelines are wary of offers used to draw people in. Keep the announcement purely informational.
For patients who need the clinic most, call personally. In a paediatric practice that means families with vaccinations due in the move weeks. In other specialities, it means post-operative patients, patients mid-plan and elderly patients who rely on a familiar route.
What should you check in the first month after the move?
Track these every week for the first four to six weeks, compared with the same weeks before the move:
- Total visits, split into new and repeat patients.
- Patients due who did not book. The recall list will show you who is slipping.
- No-shows, and whether any no-show went to the old address.
- Calls asking for directions. A high number means your landmark or pin isn't clear.
- Google profile calls and direction requests, to check the listing is working at the new address.
- Referrals from doctors, to see if referring colleagues have the new address.
If repeat visits are down, look at the due list first. Call patients who were due and didn't book, and ask simply whether the new location is a problem. Some will say the new place is harder to reach. You can't fix the distance for everyone, but you can make sure they knew.
Our retention and reactivation work includes relocation plans, and the local search side is part of our patient acquisition work. Paediatric practices can see more on our paediatrics page.
The short version
- A move breaks patients' habits. Start rebuilding them 60 days before.
- Keep the same phone and WhatsApp numbers. A changed number loses more patients than a new address.
- Edit your existing Google Business Profile address. Never create a new profile.
- Call patients due in the move weeks personally, and put signage at the old address.
- Track repeat visits, the due list and direction calls for the first month.
Official sources
Rules change. Check the current version at the source before you act.
Frequently asked questions
Should I create a new Google Business Profile for my new clinic address?
No. Edit the address on your existing profile so you keep its history, and be ready to verify again if Google asks. A second profile splits your presence and can leave the old address showing in search, sending patients to a locked door. Only create a separate profile if you keep both locations open.
How far in advance should I tell patients my clinic is moving?
About six to eight weeks before is a good start for counter conversations and printed cards, with a message to consented patients around 30 days before and a reminder with the location pin a week before. Patients due in the move weeks deserve a personal call.
Can I run an opening offer to bring patients to the new clinic?
Avoid it. Discounts and free offers used to pull people in are a problem under the NMC guidelines, and they suggest your care is cheaper than it is. An informational message with the new address, a landmark and the same phone number is all loyal patients need.
How long should signage stay at the old clinic address?
Ask your old landlord for as long as they will allow, ideally two to three months. A simple sign with the new address, a map and the phone number catches patients who come from habit. Many patients only visit a few times a year, so they may not see your messages first.
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