How do I determine the range of services to offer in my private GP practice?
How to match your skills to local demand, and the regulatory, indemnity and practical checks each extra service brings.
The short answer
Start with what you are competent and keen to do, then check there is local demand at a price people will pay. Before adding any service, test it against four gates: which CQC regulated activities it needs, whether your indemnity covers it and at what cost, what equipment and training it requires, and how you will handle results, referrals and follow-up. Most new practices do better starting with a focused core, usually general private GP consultations, and adding services once that core pays its way.
Key points
- Work within your competence. A clinical interest you already have is a better starting point than a service you would need to learn.
- Each service can change your CQC regulated activities, your indemnity cost and your equipment list.
- The MDU lists private GP services, online work, procedures, aesthetics, weight-loss and travel clinics as likely to cost extra in indemnity.
- Some services have their own rules, such as yellow fever centre designation and the planned licensing of cosmetic procedures in England.
- Start with a focused core and add services one at a time, using real booking data.
Start with your skills and interests
List what you already do well and enjoy: long consultations, women’s health, men’s health, minor surgery, dermatology, travel medicine, medicals. Private patients pay for time and expertise, so a real clinical interest is a strength. If a service needs new skills, include the training time and cost in your plan, and don’t offer it until you are competent. See what you can treat as a private GP.
Check demand and viability
- Who is asking? Look at the local population and at what nearby providers offer and charge. See choosing a location.
- Who pays? Most patients pay for private GP care themselves, and most private medical insurance does not cover GP fees. See whether insurance pays. Employers sometimes pay for medicals or health checks.
- Does it pay? Work out the price, the time it takes and the direct costs. See how much to charge.
Four gates for every service
1. Regulation
In England the CQC registers you for regulated activities, not services. General consultations usually fall under treatment of disease, disorder or injury. Procedures, diagnostics and some remote services can bring in others. Some details from the CQC’s scope guidance:
- Recording a 12-lead ECG is not in itself the diagnostic and screening procedures activity.
- If you are registered for another activity, taking blood or urine samples and taking swabs are treated as part of that registration.
- Services delivered online may count as “online primary care”, which has extra documents to send with the application.
See CQC registration by service. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regulators and scope rules.
2. Indemnity
Tell your provider about each service before you start it. The MDU lists these among the work likely to need an additional subscription: private GP services (including online and telemedicine), surgical and cosmetic procedures, weight-loss clinic work, travel and vaccination clinics, family planning services, occupational health, sports medicine and any clinical work outside England and Wales. See indemnity costs.
3. Equipment, training and premises
Vaccines need a monitored fridge and anaphylaxis kit. Minor surgery needs a suitable treatment room and sterile instruments. Some services need a chaperone or a second clinician. Add each to your start-up costs.
4. Results, referrals and follow-up
Every test you order is a result you must act on. Decide which lab you will use, how quickly you will review results, how you will refer on privately or back to the NHS GP, and how you will share information with the patient’s NHS GP. See pathology and sending notes to the NHS GP.
Notes on common services
| Service | Points to check |
|---|---|
| General private GP consultations | The usual core. Longer appointments and quick access are the main draw. |
| Health checks and screening | Evidence behind each test, handling of incidental findings, and clear information for patients. See screening packages. |
| Travel health and vaccines | Cold chain, PGDs or prescriptions for each vaccine, and designation by NaTHNaC if you want to give yellow fever vaccine. NaTHNaC now administers yellow fever centres across the UK, including Scotland since April 2026. See ordering private immunisations. |
| Medicals and reports | Some are standard-rated for VAT. See VAT. |
| Minor surgery | Room standards, consent, histology and indemnity. |
| Aesthetics | In England the government said in August 2025 that the highest-risk cosmetic procedures will become CQC regulated activities and that lower-risk ones will need a local authority licence. At the time of review neither was in force. Scotland passed a law in March 2026 that restricts higher-risk non-surgical procedures to registered settings and healthcare professionals, with offences not in force before September 2027. Check the current position before you start. |
| Prescribing-led remote clinics | Online primary care registration, identity checks, safe prescribing limits and information sharing with the NHS GP. |
If you are also an NHS GP
NHS contracts restrict what you can charge your own practice’s registered patients for. Check this before you plan any service aimed at people you already see. See private services for your registered patients.
Start focused, then grow
A narrow, well-run service is easier to register, cheaper to insure and simpler to market. Add services one at a time. Each addition may mean updating your statement of purpose and CQC registration, your indemnity, your policies and your website. Review bookings, patient feedback and margins every few months, and drop what does not work.
Frequently asked questions
Should I offer video consultations?
They suit follow-ups, results and many first contacts, and they widen your catchment. In England an online service may count as online primary care for CQC purposes, so check the extra requirements first.
Can I offer services outside general practice, such as aesthetics?
Yes, if you are trained and competent, your indemnity covers it and you meet any licensing or CQC rules. Rules for cosmetic procedures in England are changing, so check before you start.
How many services should I start with?
As few as make a viable practice. Many GPs start with general consultations plus one clinical interest.
Do I need CQC registration for every service?
You register for regulated activities rather than individual services. Adding a service may need a new regulated activity or an update to your statement of purpose.
