Category
Practice Operations
Premises, equipment, health and safety, staffing and the day-to-day running of a clinic.
Daily Operations
1 guide
Health & Safety
6 guides
Do I need a health and safety poster in my private GP practice?
Yes, if you employ anyone. The Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989 require employers to display the HSE-approved health and safety law poster where workers can easily read it, or give each worker the equivalent leaflet. This is an HSE legal requirement, not a CQC one, and it does not apply if you work alone with no employees.
Do I need COSHH as a private GP?
Yes. COSHH, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, applies to any practice that uses hazardous substances, which in general practice means cleaning and disinfection products, blood and body fluids, and sometimes liquid nitrogen or formalin. Every part applies if you employ staff, and even a sole practitioner with no employees has most of the duties: identify the substances, assess who could be exposed and how, and put controls in place.
Do you wear scrubs as a private GP when seeing patients?
It is your choice: no rule requires private GPs to wear scrubs, and if you work for a clinic or hospital you follow its uniform policy. What does matter is being bare below the elbows for hand hygiene and direct patient care, with no wrist jewellery or false nails, and keeping whatever you wear clean. Scrubs make that easy, but smart short-sleeved clothing meets the same standard.
How can I ensure my practice meets health and safety standards?
Start with a written risk assessment of your premises and activities, then put controls in place for the hazards that matter in general practice: sharps and infection, hazardous substances (COSHH), fire, electrical and medical equipment, and medical emergencies. Health and safety law applies to every workplace, with extra duties once you employ staff, and in England the CQC checks the same things under regulations 12 and 15. Name who is responsible for each area, train your team and review everything at least yearly.
What do I need to keep in my emergency drugs cabinet?
Use the CQC's suggested emergency medicines list for GP practices as your baseline, alongside the Resuscitation Council UK's minimum equipment for primary care, including an AED and oxygen. Then write a risk assessment that explains what you stock for your own patients and services, and why you leave anything out. Adrenaline for anaphylaxis must be available wherever you give vaccines, and emergency medicines must be easy to reach, not locked away, and checked regularly.
What immunisations do my staff need?
Everyone with patient contact, including receptionists, should be up to date with routine immunisations (tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR), with evidence of two MMR doses or immunity to measles and rubella. Staff at risk from blood or sharps need hepatitis B, susceptible staff with patient contact need varicella, and clinical staff should be offered flu vaccine every year. As the employer you must arrange and pay for an occupational immunisation programme, and record a risk assessment for anyone who is not immunised.
Premises & Equipment
6 guides
Can I practise as a private GP from any residential or commercial premises?
Not any premises, but a wide range can work: your home, a room rented by the session in a clinic, consulting rooms in a private hospital, or your own clinic. In England the site must be registered with the CQC as a location (unless you work under someone else's registration) and must meet regulation 15: clean, secure, suitable, properly maintained and appropriately located. It also needs the right planning use, a lease or mortgage that allows clinical use, fire and accessibility arrangements, and a room where patients can be examined in private.
Is there anything I need to do if I see patients from my home?
Yes. In England your home must be registered with the CQC as a location and meet the same premises standards as any clinic, so you need a dedicated, private consulting room with handwashing, emergency equipment and safe waste storage. You also need to check planning, tell your mortgage lender or landlord, make sure your insurance covers patients visiting, and ask an accountant about business rates and Capital Gains Tax.
What are the accessibility requirements for private medical practices?
Private practices are service providers under the Equality Act 2010, so you must make reasonable adjustments to avoid disabled people being put at a substantial disadvantage. The duty covers your policies and practices, physical features of your premises, and extra aids or services such as accessible information, and it is anticipatory, so you plan for disabled people in general before anyone asks. You cannot charge a disabled person for the cost of an adjustment, and in England the CQC checks this as part of whether your premises and care are suitable.
What are the benefits of leasing versus buying premises for my practice?
Leasing needs far less capital and lets you move as the practice grows, which is why most private GPs rent sessions or lease before they ever buy. Buying gives you control over the building and a long-term asset, but ties up a deposit, adds purchase taxes and makes you responsible for everything. For most new practices the sensible order is sessional rooms first, then a lease with a break clause, and buying only once the practice is established.
What equipment do I need as a private GP?
You need a suitable consulting room, the diagnostic kit you use every day in NHS general practice, resuscitation equipment and emergency medicines, infection control supplies, and systems for records, communication and payment. Add equipment for each extra service you offer, such as a pharmaceutical fridge for vaccines or an ECG machine. In England the CQC expects every item to be suitable, maintained, calibrated where needed and logged, so plan maintenance from the day you buy it.
Where can I get medical supplies from?
Most private GPs use a general medical supplier for equipment and consumables, such as Williams Medical, Healthcare Equipment & Supplies (HCE) or Medisave, and a licensed pharmaceutical wholesaler, such as AAH or Phoenix, for medicines and vaccines. Your laboratory and clinical waste contractor supply their own kits and containers. Buy medicines only from a supplier with an MHRA wholesale dealer's licence, check medical devices are properly marked, and keep stock small and rotated.
Staff Management
4 guides
How do I manage staff performance and appraisals?
Hold a documented appraisal for every employee at least once a year, with clear objectives, a training plan and regular informal check-ins in between. In England, CQC regulation 18 requires staff to receive the support, training, supervision and appraisal they need for their role, and registered clinicians also need your help with professional revalidation. If performance falls short, find out why, support improvement first, and follow a fair procedure in line with the Acas Code before any formal action.
How should I recruit new GPs for my private GP service?
Start by deciding whether you want an employed salaried GP or a self-employed sessional GP, then recruit through personal recommendation, local sessional GP networks, locum agencies, medical job boards and professional networks for independent doctors. Before anyone sees patients, complete the checks CQC regulation 19 requires, and confirm the GP's GMC registration and licence, revalidation connection, enhanced DBS check, right to work and indemnity that covers private work. Then give them a proper induction, supervised first sessions and a review of their early cases.
What are the employment law considerations when hiring staff?
First decide whether the person will be an employee, a worker or genuinely self-employed, because that sets their rights and your tax duties. Before they start, check their right to work and, for a CQC-registered service, complete the recruitment checks the regulations require. From day one you must give a written statement of terms, pay at least the minimum wage, provide paid holiday, enrol eligible staff in a pension, run PAYE and hold employers' liability insurance.
What staff do you need to run a private general practice service?
If you work in a private hospital or under practising privileges, the host usually provides reception and nursing support. If you set up your own service, you can start alone and outsource admin, but you still need someone to answer patients, a chaperone for intimate examinations, and named leads for safeguarding, infection control, resuscitation and information governance, which can all be you at first. As you grow, the usual first hires are a receptionist or administrator, then a practice manager, then a nurse or healthcare assistant if your services need one.
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Guides on every part of running a private general practice, from regulation to growing your list.
