Is sessional private GP work available?

Yes, and it is the easiest way in

Established private GP services regularly look for GPs to work fixed or ad hoc sessions. Working for someone else’s service means they hold the regulator registration, premises, booking and billing. You bring your clinical skills, your GMC licence and your own indemnity. That makes it the lowest-risk way to find out whether private general practice suits you.

For the full range of routes, including practising privileges and running your own clinic, see the different types of private GP.

Where the work is

Type of provider	What the work usually looks like
Independent GP clinics	Face-to-face surgeries of longer appointments, often with regular sessions and a patient list you build over time
Private hospital GP services	GP clinics inside a private hospital, sometimes under practising privileges
Online and telephone providers	Remote consultations, often flexible hours from home, sometimes with narrower scope such as prescribing or specific conditions
Corporate and occupational health	Health assessments and GP clinics for employers and their staff
Special-interest clinics	Travel health, menopause, sexual health, weight management and similar services that want GP input

Some providers want regular weekly sessions. Others need cover for holidays and peaks. Remote roles are the most flexible but can be less representative of what private general practice feels like.

How to find sessions

• Ask colleagues. Many private GP posts are filled by word of mouth before they are advertised. Tell GPs already in private work that you are looking.
• Approach providers directly. Local private clinics and hospital GP services will often take a CV and a short covering email, even with no vacancy advertised.
• Job boards and agencies. Medical job boards and locum agencies list some private roles. Read the terms carefully, especially employment status and who pays for indemnity.
• Peer networks. Private GP groups and events are a good source of leads. See keeping in touch with peers.

What a provider will ask for

In England, a CQC-registered provider must be satisfied that everyone it employs is fit to do the work, and the regulations count contracted and practising-privileges arrangements as employment. Schedule 3 to the Regulated Activities Regulations 2014 sets out what the provider must hold. Expect to be asked for:

• proof of identity with a recent photograph
• GMC registration with a licence to practise, and your qualifications
• an enhanced DBS check. See getting a DBS check
• a full employment history with gaps explained, and references
• information about your health as it affects the role, and often immunisation status
• evidence of indemnity that covers the private work
• your latest appraisal and details of your revalidation connection

Having these ready speeds things up considerably.

Indemnity and appraisal

In England, NHS GP indemnity through CNSGP covers NHS work only, so sessional private work needs its own cover. Some providers arrange cover for their clinicians. Many expect you to hold your own, so ask. See indemnity for private work.

If you keep NHS work, your NHS appraisal covers your private sessions too. If private sessions become your only work, you need a new route to appraisal and revalidation. See appraisal and revalidation as a private GP.

Employed, self-employed or through a company

Sessional roles come in three forms: employed on the payroll, self-employed on a contract for services, or paid through your own limited company. The label in your contract is not the final word for tax. HMRC looks at the reality of the arrangement, and its Check Employment Status for Tax tool can help you and the provider decide.

If you work through your own company, the off-payroll working rules (IR35) may apply. For public sector bodies and medium or large private clients, the client decides your status. For small private clients, your own company decides. See whether to set up a company and tax for private GPs.

What a session means

There is no fixed definition in private practice. In NHS general practice the BMA model salaried contract divides a full-time week of 37.5 hours into nine sessions, which works out at 4 hours 10 minutes each. Private providers set their own session lengths and appointment times, so ask how many patients you will see, how long each appointment is, and how much admin time is built in.

Pay

Rates vary widely with the provider, location, appointment length and whether you are employed or self-employed. Compare offers on the same basis: pay per hour of clinical time, who pays for indemnity, whether admin and results handling are paid, and any cancellation terms. For typical earnings, see how much a private GP earns.

Advantages and drawbacks

• For: little set-up, flexible hours, experience of private practice before you commit, and the chance to build relationships with patients who come back to you.
• Against: less control over fees and services, different record systems and protocols at each provider, and income that depends on the provider’s demand.

If you still hold NHS work, check your NHS contract first. See working as a private GP and in the NHS.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Providers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and RQIA. Their pre-employment checks are similar, but the criminal records check comes from Disclosure Scotland in Scotland and from AccessNI in Northern Ireland.