There is no doubt that the NHS is suffering severe shortages in terms of doctors as well as budget, and as a result, patients aren’t getting seen as quickly as they should. In many cases patients wait several months to be seen by their GP and often that leads to serious consequences when an illness was left too long without treatment. While doctors in the system are concerned about this and many other issues the NHS is dealing with, at least they are a part of a government body that backs doctors working within the scheme. What about the growing number of private doctors who are, for all intents and purposes, on their own out there? Here is some of what they face – the leading concerns of those caring for private pay patients.

Medical Indemnity Insurance

Actually, the way the NHS is set up, there is a limit to malpractice suits and the insurance NHS providers carry is standard within the scheme. When it comes to medical indemnity in the private sector, most the  NHS cover isn’t going to be sufficient. This is one of the leading concerns and one in which doctors rely heavily for advice on medical indemnity insurance from Incision, as an example. They want to know how much cover they should carry and sometimes, even more importantly, what happens if they are treating a patient covered under the NHS but also seeing private pay patients.

Keeping Their Schedules Straight

Although there are doctors who are working outside the NHS for private patients, most doctors still manage to keep seeing NHS patients as well. Whether this is a concern over acquiring enough patients to keep their doors open or in regards to helping with the caseload already too heavy for NHS doctors to handle, the reality is that most doctors who see private patients also serve the NHS. Sometimes it can be worrisome keeping their schedules straight because of a dual caseload, but that takes second place to the concern over carrying the right amount of indemnity cover.

Finding Office Space and Staff

Another huge concern for private practice doctors is finding affordable office space and staff willing to work outside the NHS. Don’t forget that government jobs carry a number of pension and related benefits that some private practice doctors can’t afford to fund. This is the case in the very beginning before they build up a caseload, and why so many doctors work both private practice and for the NHS. Of course, doctors still need to keep the cost of their offices going within the system, it’s the other perks that subsidise their operating costs and those are what private doctors are concerned about doing without.

It’s the Bottom Line That Counts

When all is said and done, doctors need to know that they will be getting a decent ROI before they branch out on their own. Whether they started within the NHS or began immediately in private practice, it’s a huge concern that they make enough to keep their clinic open for the long term. Whether patients pay with private insurance or out of pocket, it takes a good deal of patients to cover the high costs of running a medical facility. The cost of equipment and technology also enters into the equation, so it might be a very long time before the industry sees sufficient numbers of private care doctors to fill the nation’s growing need. If you are interested in moving over to private practice, seek the advice mentioned above to get the answers you need. It’s well worth your time.