Free launch pack

Private GP Launch Pack

A 90-day launch checklist, a start-up budget worksheet and a map of who regulates what in each UK nation, for GPs setting up their own private service.

Start the launch pack

What’s inside

Days 1 to 14: choose your route6 steps
Days 1 to 30: professional and legal foundations6 steps
Days 15 to 45: apply to your regulator6 steps
Days 30 to 60: premises, equipment and medicines7 steps
Days 30 to 60: records, prescribing and payments7 steps
Days 45 to 75: policies and governance7 steps
Days 60 to 90: get ready for patients6 steps
Opening week: go-live checks6 steps
Start-up budget worksheet28 lines
UK regulator map11 topics

Private GP Launch Pack

This pack turns the set-up of a private GP service into a 90-day plan. Work through the checklist in order, because many steps depend on earlier ones. Fill in the budget worksheet as quotes arrive, and use the regulator map to check which body applies where you practise.

Registration is the step you control least. In England the CQC says assessing an application can take several months, and Healthcare Improvement Scotland says to allow at least six. Start it early. In most cases you cannot see private patients until registration is granted, so opening may fall after day 90. Fees and timescales were checked on 24 September 2026. Confirm them with each body before you rely on them.

Step 1: Days 1 to 14: choose your route

Your route decides whether you need your own registration, premises and systems.

Choose how you will work: sessional work for an existing provider, practising privileges, or your own service in person, online or both.
Sessional work and practising privileges usually rely on the host’s registration and systems.
Check what your NHS contract, partnership agreement or employer allows.
NHS GPs cannot offer their own registered patients private services that the NHS provides.
Decide the services you will offer first, and which you will refer on.
Each extra service can add equipment, training, indemnity and registration requirements.
Check local demand and competitors’ published prices.
Write a one-page business plan with a break-even figure.
Break-even appointments a month = fixed costs ÷ (average fee − direct cost per appointment).
Book an accountant who works with doctors.
Ask about your structure, tax, VAT and NHS pension.

Step 2: Days 1 to 30: professional and legal foundations

Tell your indemnity provider exactly what you will do, and get cover confirmed in writing.
The state-backed scheme for general practice covers NHS work only.
Check your licence to practise and your revalidation connection.
You need a designated body with a responsible officer, or a suitable person. Your appraisal must cover your private work.
Choose sole trader, partnership or limited company, and set it up.
The legal entity is what registers with the regulator. Incorporating online costs £100.
Open a business bank account and set up bookkeeping.
Pay the ICO data protection fee before you hold patient data.
£52 a year for tier 1 (turnover up to £632,000 or up to 10 staff).
Apply for an enhanced criminal record check with barred lists.
The CQC rejects applications with a DBS check more than 12 months old. Scotland uses Disclosure Scotland and Northern Ireland uses AccessNI.

Step 3: Days 15 to 45: apply to your regulator

The longest step. Submit only when everything is in place.

Confirm whether your services need registration in your nation.
See the regulator map below.
Secure premises that are ready for a visit, or rooms you can hire by the session.
Check the lease and planning permission allow clinical use.
Write your statement of purpose.
It is a legal requirement in England and must match the services you provide.
Name a registered manager if your structure needs one.
In England, organisations and partnerships need one. So do individuals who are not running the service day to day.
Prepare the policies the application asks for.
The CQC asks every applicant for complaints, consent, equality, governance, infection control, medicines, recruitment and safeguarding policies.
Submit a complete application and note the reference.
Incomplete applications are returned or delayed.

Step 4: Days 30 to 60: premises, equipment and medicines

Complete fire and general health and safety risk assessments.
Put infection prevention and control in place, with cleaning schedules and a clinical waste contract.
Complete COSHH assessments for the substances you use.
Buy or lease equipment for your services, and set up servicing.
Decide your emergency medicines and equipment through a documented risk assessment.
Resuscitation Council UK guidance is the usual reference point.
If you will vaccinate, set up a vaccine fridge with temperature monitoring and a cold-chain procedure.
Check accessibility and reasonable adjustments for the premises.

Step 5: Days 30 to 60: records, prescribing and payments

Trial two or three clinical record systems with your own consultations before you choose.
Compare coded notes, prescribing checks, results, letters to NHS GPs, billing, data export and published pricing.
Decide how you will prescribe: signed paper, a private e-prescribing service, or both.
NHS EPS is not available for private prescriptions.
If you will prescribe Schedule 2 or 3 controlled drugs, apply for a private prescriber number and pads.
The forms are FP10PCD, WP10PCD, PPCD(1) or PCD1, depending on the nation.
Open a pathology account and agree who checks and acts on every result.
Set up a secure way to send letters to NHS GPs, with a consent-to-share step in the consultation.
Set up online booking, payments, invoices and your link to accounting software.
Write your privacy notice and a data protection impact assessment for your main systems.

Step 6: Days 45 to 75: policies and governance

Publish a complaints procedure with a route to independent review.
The CQC does not require ISCAS membership, but it expects providers without independent review to consider adding it.
Name a safeguarding lead, and check everyone’s training level.
Write consent, chaperone, confidentiality and significant events procedures.
Write a prescribing policy covering remote prescribing, controlled drugs and monitoring of high-risk medicines.
If you employ staff, complete recruitment checks and arrange employers’ liability insurance.
Cover of at least £5 million is a legal requirement once you employ anyone.
Plan your first clinical audit and set up a governance log.
Start an evidence index mapped to the five key questions: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Step 7: Days 60 to 90: get ready for patients

Publish a website with your services, prices, GMC number, registration status and online booking.
Set up and verify a Google Business Profile if patients will visit you in person.
List your service where patients compare private GPs, including free directories.
Contact referral partners such as local consultants, physiotherapists and pharmacies, and a few local employers.
Check every advert and web page against GMC guidance and the CAP Code.
You cannot advertise prescription-only medicines to the public.
Set up appointment confirmations, reminders and a feedback request.

Step 8: Opening week: go-live checks

Once registration is granted.

Confirm registration is granted and your indemnity is live from your first appointment.
Test the whole journey with a dummy patient, from booking and consultation to prescription, payment and the letter to the NHS GP.
Check emergency medicines and equipment, and log the check.
Brief anyone working with you on policies, chaperoning and what to do in an emergency.
Open bookings, and ask every new patient how they found you.
Book a review at 30 days to compare bookings and spending against your plan.

Step 9: Start-up budget worksheet

Fill in your own figure for each line as quotes arrive. Totals are up to you, and nothing is saved.

Assumptions behind the ranges

You are setting up your own registered service, not working sessionally for another provider.
England unless stated. Fees are those published by the body that charges them, checked on 24 September 2026.
Where there is no reliable published figure, the guidance says what drives the cost instead of guessing.
Most private GP care is VAT-exempt, so enter prices including VAT.

Before you openOne-off

Company formation
Typical: £100 online (Companies House). £0 as a sole trader.
Your figure for Company formation
Enhanced DBS check
Plus any umbrella body charge
Typical: £49.50, or £41 from 5 October 2026
Your figure for Enhanced DBS check
Regulator application
RQIA fees are set in regulations. Check the current amount.
Typical: CQC: no separate fee. HIW: £500 (plus £100 for a manager). HIS: £3,996.
Your figure for Regulator application
Premises deposit, legal fees and fit-out
Nothing if you hire rooms by the session. Otherwise get three quotes.
Typical: No published range
Your figure for Premises deposit, legal fees and fit-out
Clinical equipment
Depends on your services. Consider leasing expensive items.
Typical: No published range
Your figure for Clinical equipment
Emergency medicines and equipment
Set by your risk assessment. Get wholesaler quotes.
Typical: No published range
Your figure for Emergency medicines and equipment
Opening stock and consumables
Dressings, sharps bins, PPE and any vaccines
Typical: No published range
Your figure for Opening stock and consumables
IT hardware
Laptops, printer, card reader, secure Wi-Fi
Typical: Retail prices
Your figure for IT hardware
Website and brand
Get two or three quotes
Typical: No published range
Your figure for Website and brand
Policies and registration support
Typical: Your time, or consultant quotes
Your figure for Policies and registration support
Software set-up or data migration
Typical: Some suppliers charge nothing. Ask in writing.
Your figure for Software set-up or data migration

Running costsMonthly (divide yearly bills by 12)

Rent or room hire
Depends on location and on session hire or a lease
Typical: No published range
Your figure for Rent or room hire
Business rates
Relief tapers to nothing at £15,000. Other nations have their own schemes.
Typical: England: nothing up to £12,000 rateable value
Your figure for Business rates
Medical indemnity
Priced on the amount and type of your work
Typical: Quote only
Your figure for Medical indemnity
Other insurance
Employers’ liability of at least £5 million once you employ anyone
Typical: Quote only
Your figure for Other insurance
Regulator annual fee
Check RQIA’s current fee
Typical: CQC £1,867 a year (one location). HIW £500. HIS from £1,372.
Your figure for Regulator annual fee
ICO data protection fee
Typical: £52 or £78 a year
Your figure for ICO data protection fee
Companies House confirmation statement
Typical: £50 a year
Your figure for Companies House confirmation statement
Clinical record and practice software
Check add-ons such as SMS, e-prescribing and insurer billing
Typical: About £28 to £125 per user a month, where prices are published
Your figure for Clinical record and practice software
Private e-prescribing
Typical: Often charged per prescription
Your figure for Private e-prescribing
Healthcode (insurer billing only)
Typical: £9.20 a month plus a fee per invoice
Your figure for Healthcode (insurer billing only)
Staff
Add employer National Insurance (15% above £5,000 a year) and pension
Typical: National Living Wage £12.71 an hour (21 and over)
Your figure for Staff
Clinical waste, cleaning and consumables
Typical: Contractor quotes
Your figure for Clinical waste, cleaning and consumables
Accountant, bank and card fees
Typical: Quotes and provider tariffs
Your figure for Accountant, bank and card fees
Marketing
Some directory listings are free
Typical: Your choice
Your figure for Marketing

Working capitalBefore break-even

Months until bookings cover costs (slow case)
Use the break-even formula in section 1
Typical: Your estimate
Your figure for Months until bookings cover costs (slow case)
Buffer: monthly running costs × months to break-even
Typical: Your calculation
Your figure for Buffer: monthly running costs × months to break-even
Contingency
Typical: A margin you are comfortable with
Your figure for Contingency

Fees change. Check each one with the body that charges it before you commit, and update the worksheet when you have quotes.

Step 10: UK regulator map

Which body registers or regulates what, in each nation. Healthcare regulation is devolved. Most other rules apply across the UK.

Registering your service
England
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Register for regulated activities, usually treatment of disease, disorder or injury. There is no separate application fee, and the annual fee is £1,867 for one location.
Wales
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW)
Register as an independent clinic, or as an independent medical agency for remote services. £500 to apply and £500 a year. HIW aims to register within 12 weeks of accepting a complete application.
Scotland
Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS)
A private GP service in premises is an independent clinic. £3,996 to register (2026/27). Allow at least six months.
Northern Ireland
Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)
Registers independent clinics and independent medical agencies. Check the current fees.
Inspection
England
CQC
Assesses the five key questions and publishes a rating you must display. It is moving to sector-specific frameworks from the end of 2026.
Wales
HIW
Inspects against the Independent Health Care (Wales) Regulations 2011 and national minimum standards. Inspections may be unannounced.
Scotland
HIS
Inspects independent clinics and publishes its reports.
Northern Ireland
RQIA
Inspects registered clinics. Its private doctor guidance expects each doctor to have a responsible officer.
Your registration, licence and revalidation
All four nations
General Medical Council (GMC)
Every licensed doctor revalidates through annual appraisal and a responsible officer or suitable person. Without one, you deal with the GMC directly and sit an assessment.
Private controlled drug prescribing (Schedule 2 and 3)
England
NHS England controlled drugs team
Private prescriber number and FP10PCD pads
Wales
Your health board
WP10PCD forms. Check the local process for a prescriber number.
Scotland
Your NHS board and Practitioner Services
PPCD(1) forms and a private prescriber number
Northern Ireland
Business Services Organisation (BSO)
PCD1 forms, by application
Criminal record checks
England
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
Enhanced check with barred lists
Wales
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
Enhanced check with barred lists
Scotland
Disclosure Scotland
Scotland’s equivalent checks
Northern Ireland
AccessNI
Northern Ireland’s equivalent checks
Data protection
All four nations
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Pay the data protection fee (£52 or £78 for most practices) and follow UK GDPR.
Medicines and device safety
All four nations
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
Report suspected adverse reactions through the Yellow Card Scheme.
Advertising
All four nations
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the CAP Code
Health claims need evidence, and prescription-only medicines cannot be advertised to the public.
Independent review of complaints
All four nations
Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS)
A voluntary subscriber scheme for UK independent healthcare providers
Tax and VAT
All four nations
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
Most medical care is VAT-exempt. Some reports and medicals are not.
Health and safety at work
England
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Wales
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Scotland
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Northern Ireland
Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI)

The CQC, HIW, HIS and RQIA each have narrow exemptions and their own definitions. Check with the regulator for the nation you work from before you apply.

Sources

Register as a providerCare Quality Commission · cqc.org.uk · Accessed 24 September 2026
Provider fees payable: independent healthcareCare Quality Commission · cqc.org.uk · Accessed 24 September 2026
Independent healthcare feesHealthcare Inspectorate Wales · hiw.org.uk · Accessed 24 September 2026
Independent healthcare fees 2026-27Healthcare Improvement Scotland · healthcareimprovementscotland.scot · Accessed 24 September 2026
Register with usRQIA · rqia.org.uk · Accessed 24 September 2026
Data protection feeInformation Commissioner’s Office · ico.org.uk · Accessed 24 September 2026
Companies House feesCompanies House · gov.uk · Accessed 24 September 2026
DBS reduces fees for checks and Update Service from 5 October 2026GOV.UK · gov.uk · Accessed 24 September 2026
Controlled drug prescribingNHS Business Services Authority · nhsbsa.nhs.uk · Accessed 24 September 2026
Clinical Negligence Scheme for General PracticeNHS Resolution · resolution.nhs.uk · Accessed 24 September 2026

Tools that can help

A record system is one of the bigger set-up decisions in the pack. Compare several before you choose.

Private GP Launch Pack

What’s inside

Private GP Launch Pack

Step 1: Days 1 to 14: choose your route

Step 2: Days 1 to 30: professional and legal foundations

Step 3: Days 15 to 45: apply to your regulator

Step 4: Days 30 to 60: premises, equipment and medicines

Step 5: Days 30 to 60: records, prescribing and payments

Step 6: Days 45 to 75: policies and governance

Step 7: Days 60 to 90: get ready for patients

Step 8: Opening week: go-live checks

Step 9: Start-up budget worksheet

Before you openOne-off

Running costsMonthly (divide yearly bills by 12)

Working capitalBefore break-even

Step 10: UK regulator map

Registering your service

Inspection

Your registration, licence and revalidation

Private controlled drug prescribing (Schedule 2 and 3)

Criminal record checks

Data protection

Medicines and device safety

Advertising

Independent review of complaints

Tax and VAT

Health and safety at work

Sources

Tools that can help

The Beat by The Private GP Forum