Category
Starting a Private Practice
Planning, funding and structuring a new private GP service, and making the move from the NHS.
Business Structure & Funding
4 guides
Can I run a private practice by myself?
Yes, many private GPs work alone, and in England you can register with the CQC as an individual without a separate registered manager, provided you are fit to manage the service and in full-time day-to-day charge of it. The catch is that every responsibility is yours: registration, governance, results, safeguarding, complaints and the business side. So plan from the start for cover when you are away, a safe way to handle results and urgent contacts, and peer support.
How can I secure funding or loans to start my private practice?
Many private GPs keep borrowing small by starting in rented or sessional rooms and funding the rest from savings. If you do need finance, the usual routes are a bank loan or overdraft, the government-backed Start Up Loans scheme (a personal loan of up to £25,000 per owner at the time of review), and leasing or asset finance for equipment. Every route needs a business plan with a cash-flow forecast, and in England the CQC also asks most new providers for a financial viability statement signed by an accountant or regulated bank.
Private GP start-up costs: a line-by-line budget
There is no typical total, because premises, staff and your route drive most of the cost. The fixed published fees are small by comparison. For a limited company with one location in England, the regulator’s annual fee, the ICO fee, incorporation and a DBS check came to about £2,100 in the first year at the time of review. Get quotes for everything else, budget with VAT included, and hold working capital for the months before bookings cover your costs.
Should I set up a company for my private practice?
Not necessarily: working as a sole trader is simplest for a few private sessions, while a limited company can reduce tax once profits are higher and suits a practice with staff, premises or co-owners. A company adds cost and paperwork, does not protect you from claims about your own clinical care, and in England changes your CQC registration, which is tied to the legal entity. Decide with an accountant who knows medical practices, before you apply to the CQC.
Setup & Planning
4 guides
How do I choose the ideal location for my private GP practice?
Choose the area first, then the building. Pick somewhere your target patients live or work and can reach easily, check demand with census data and a map of existing private providers, then make sure the specific site allows clinical use under planning and the lease, is accessible, and, in England, can meet the CQC’s requirement that premises are clean, secure, suitable and appropriately located. If you are unsure, rent a room by the session in an existing clinic to test the area before committing to a lease.
How do I create a business plan for my private GP practice?
Write a short plan that answers five questions: what services you will offer and to whom, how you will run and regulate the service, what it will cost to set up and run, how many paid appointments you need to break even, and how you will find those patients. The financial section, a start-up budget plus a month-by-month cash-flow forecast, is the part a lender, your accountant and anyone signing a CQC financial viability statement will look at most closely.
How do I determine the range of services to offer in my private GP practice?
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.
How to start a private GP practice in the UK: the complete guide
Choose your route first. Joining an existing provider needs little set-up, but running your own service means eight steps: plan your services and prices, sort indemnity and your GMC position, set up the business, register with the regulator for your nation, prepare premises and equipment, choose your systems, write your policies, and find your first patients. You cannot see patients until registration is granted where it applies, so allow three to nine months, and longer in Scotland.
Transition from NHS
1 guide
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. Free, no sign-up.
Tools that can help
Systems that private GPs use for this part of the job.
Explore other topics
Guides on every part of running a private general practice, from regulation to growing your list.
