Deciding to set up your own practice can be a big risk. Whether you are applying for NHS funding or you are going entirely private, setting up a practice is going to take a lot of work. Here are some of the crucial things you are going to need to make it happen.
Enough Space
A practice is going to need more room than you might think. In addition to your office, you are going to need a staffroom, a reception and waiting room, an archive, and potentially more. You are also going to need toilets the patients can use and the entire practice should have wheelchair access.
Finding space which ticks all of these boxes can be very difficult. You might not be able to purpose-build a location at first, which means that finding somewhere to rent which will meet all your needs.
The Right Staff
Even with someone like your receptionist, you want to make sure that you are finding the right person from the beginning. Medical receptionists have a bit more responsibility than others. Not only do they need to fulfil all of their basic admin tasks, but they also need to be able to accurately record the symptoms of the people they speak to over the phone. It is a unique set of skills and it might difficult to find someone who can meet the needs you have initially.
Insurance
Whether you are setting yourself up as a GP or as a specialist, you are going to need to make sure that you are covered correctly. Incision Indemnity can give you the coverage you need at a price which won’t take you over budget in your early days. The risks of practicing without insurance are simply not worth it. This is one thing which you need to get out the way as early as you can.
A Business Plan
When you are the director of your own private practice, you will need to treat it like a business. As much as you might want to spend all of your time helping the sick, you are not going to be able to do so if you do not have the funds to do so. Whether you are hiring a business manager or you are taking time to work out your business plan for yourself, you need to make sure that you have everything covered.
The Right Attitude
Having a good bedside manner is incredibly important for a doctor but you also need to make sure that you have the right attitude for your business. Running your own practice is going to be a difficult road and you need to make sure that you can handle anything which might be thrown at you. You need that rare combination of good business sense and medical expertise. Not everyone has this, so it might be something you work on as your practice flourishes. However, as you master it, you can expect your practice to grow and become more than you ever expected it to.
Setting up a private medical practice is never easy. It can take a lot of time and effort to pull together everything you need for a successful practice. However, the more time you can spend getting everything perfect will give you a better chance of being able to survive as a practice. Establish what you want from your business today and get ready to launch your practice. It is going to take a lot of effort on your part but it could also end up as one of the most rewarding things you have ever done.
