Category
Insurance & Risk Management
Medical indemnity, practice insurance, and arranging pathology and diagnostics safely.
Diagnostics & Pathology
2 guides
Where can I get my pathology done?
Most private GPs open an account with a private laboratory, and some NHS trust pathology services also accept private requests, so it is worth asking your local one. Whichever you use, check that the lab is UKAS-accredited to ISO 15189 and registered with the CQC, and agree how samples will reach it, how results will come back to you and who the lab will phone with an urgent abnormal result, including out of hours.
Where do you get ECGs interpreted?
Either you interpret the ECG yourself, if you are competent to, or you send it to a reporting service run by cardiologists or cardiac physiologists, or to a colleague with the right expertise. Don’t rely on the machine’s computer-generated report: the professional body for cardiac scientists (SCST) says these can be inaccurate and should be checked by a clinician, who then becomes the author of the report. Whoever reports it, you remain responsible for acting on the result, so agree turnaround times and an urgent route before you record your first ECG.
Medical Indemnity
5 guides
Do I need additional/different indemnity to practice as a private GP?
Yes. In England the state-backed Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP) has covered NHS GP work since April 2019, but it does not cover private work. Wales’s scheme has the same limit, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have different arrangements. Before you see any private patient, tell your medical defence organisation or insurer exactly what private work you will do and get written confirmation that it is covered.
What are the costs associated with medical indemnity insurance for private GPs?
There is no standard price, because providers set it from what you do, how much of it you do and how much it earns. Medical Protection, for example, prices cover for private work on your projected gross revenue from that work and the activities involved, and the MDU charges an additional subscription for private GP services and higher-risk work such as aesthetics or weight-loss clinics. The NHS state schemes pay nothing towards private work, so get written quotes for your exact plan from at least two providers before you commit.
What is the difference between claims-made and occurrence-based indemnity coverage?
Occurrence-based cover protects you for incidents that happened while you were covered, whenever the claim arrives, even after you have left or retired. Claims-made cover only responds if the claim is reported while the cover is still in force, so when you stop, switch provider or take a long break you need run-off cover (the MDU calls it extended reporting rights). Claims-made is often cheaper at first, but compare the whole-career cost, including run-off, before you choose.
What types of insurance are essential for a private GP practice?
Three are essential for most private GP practices: medical indemnity for every clinician (a legal requirement for licensed doctors), employers’ liability insurance as soon as you employ anyone (compulsory, with at least £5 million of cover), and public liability insurance, which the CQC in England asks to see with every new registration application. Beyond those, consider cover for your premises and equipment, business interruption, cyber risks, business use of your car and your own income if you cannot work.
Where should I get private GP indemnity?
Start with the medical defence organisation you already belong to, because most GPs add private work to existing membership, then compare at least one other provider. The main UK options are the medical defence organisations (MDU, Medical Protection and MDDUS), whose help with claims is typically discretionary, and commercial insurance, which is a regulated contract with set limits and is usually claims-made. Choose on what is covered, the basis of cover and the support you get, not on price alone.
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Guides on every part of running a private general practice, from regulation to growing your list.
