Category
Technology & Digital Systems
Record systems, IT and networks, secure communication with patients and colleagues, and data protection.
AI & Advanced Technology
1 guide
Cybersecurity & Data Protection
1 guide
Digital Communication
6 guides
Can I use NHSmail as a private GP?
Usually not for your private practice itself: NHSmail (now NHS.net Connect) is for organisations providing or supporting publicly funded care, so a purely private GP service is unlikely to qualify. If you already have an nhs.net account from NHS work, the acceptable use policy allows clinical staff to use it for private patients, but it is not a good main address for a practice. Most private GPs send letters to NHS GPs over MESH through their record system or a document transfer service, and use encrypted email for everything else.
Do private GPs use digital triage?
Full NHS-style digital triage is uncommon in private general practice, because most private GPs have capacity and patients choose them for direct access to a doctor. Many do use lighter tools: emergency screening at booking, pre-consultation questionnaires and service-specific forms that improve the consultation rather than replace it. If you use forms to decide urgency or support prescribing, build in clinician review, identity checks and red flags, and check the CQC and medical device rules.
How do I send secure email if I can’t use NHSmail?
Use message-level encryption for anything clinical, either built into your business email (such as Microsoft Purview Message Encryption in some Microsoft 365 plans), through a dedicated encrypted email service, or through secure messaging in your record system. Send letters to NHS GPs over MESH rather than by email where you can. If you email NHS organisations often, you can accredit your own email service to the NHS secure email standard (DCB1596).
How do video appointments work for a private GP?
The patient books and pays, receives a secure link, and joins from a phone or computer; you check who they are, where they are and who is with them, then consult and record as you would face to face. Video suits history-led problems, results and follow-ups, but switch to an in-person appointment when you cannot assess or prescribe safely. Use a secure platform approved for clinical use, keep recording off unless the patient explicitly consents, and make sure your registration and indemnity cover remote work.
How should I communicate with patients as a private GP?
Communicate clearly in the consultation, including costs and who does what next, then confirm the plan in a short written summary sent through a secure channel. Choose a small number of channels, publish how quickly you reply and what patients should do out of hours, and agree at the time of every test how the patient will hear the result. Keep a record of what you send, and keep confidential detail out of unencrypted texts and emails.
Should I give patients my phone number as a private GP?
Only if you have decided how you will manage it. Most private GPs give patients a practice number with set hours and call back as needed, often through a cloud phone app that shows the practice number rather than a personal one. If you offer direct access, define it clearly, record every clinical call and text in the notes, and tell patients what to do when you are not available.
IT Infrastructure
7 guides
Can I use NHS systems like EMIS Web or SystmOne in my private practice?
Yes for EMIS Web, which private GPs can buy from its supplier, usually with Hero Health for booking and billing. At the time of review TPP did not publicly offer SystmOne to private GP practices. Using an NHS clinical system does not give a private service NHS services such as EPS, e-RS referrals or GP record access, which depend on NHS contracts and eligibility rather than the software.
How can I use practice management software to streamline my private practice?
Practice management software runs the business side of a private practice: online booking, payment, reminders, invoicing, messaging and reports. It is not the same as a clinical record, so decide whether you want one system that does both or separate tools that connect. Map your patient journey first, then choose software that removes retyping and chasing at each step.
How should I set up IT and networks for my private GP service?
Most private GP systems run in the cloud, so for a small practice the network mostly means reliable business broadband with a backup, secure and separate practice and guest Wi-Fi, encrypted and updated devices, and individual accounts with multi-factor authentication. You rarely need an on-site server, and usually only need an NHS network (HSCN) connection if a system you choose requires it. Use Cyber Essentials as your baseline, and consider a managed IT provider under a written data processing contract.
How to choose a record system for private general practice
No single record system suits every private GP. Choose against the criteria that matter for your service: SNOMED CT coded notes, prescribing checked against a UK drug database, electronic prescribing, a way to send letters to the NHS GP, billing and booking, data migration, security (DSPT) and clinical safety (DCB0129), and clear pricing. Then trial two or three systems with your own workflows before you commit.
How to migrate your private GP clinical system safely
Plan the move before you give notice. Get a written description of exactly what your current supplier will export and in what format. Update your data protection paperwork, test an import on a sample and have a clinician check it. Then switch on a set date, keep read-only access to the old system and its audit trail, and tell patients what changes for them. Allow at least six to eight weeks.
Semble alternatives for private GPs: what to compare
Semble is a widely used platform, but it is not the only option for a UK private GP. Compare alternatives on clinical coding, prescribing, how you write to NHS GPs, booking and billing, data export and migration, security, and published pricing. Credible options include EMIS Web with Hero Health, Jump EHR and Meddbase for GP-style records, and Cliniko, WriteUpp and Pabau, which are built mainly for other kinds of clinic.
What are the benefits of EMIS Web over cheaper record systems?
EMIS Web’s main benefits are familiarity for NHS-trained staff, clinical depth in coding, templates, prescribing and reporting, and a large ecosystem of partner products. The trade-offs are cost and complexity: in private practice it needs partner products for billing and booking, pricing is by quote, and setup takes longer than a browser-based system. It tends to suit providers who also hold an NHS contract or larger practices, while many small purely private services choose a private-first system.
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.
