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Articles by Robin Stride
Duty of candour issues revealed
By Robin Stride Private consultants’ and GPs’ difficult experiences with the duty of candour have been revealed in a survey for Independent Practitioner Today by the Medical Defence Union (MDU). It demonstrates much more needs to be done to back doctors when things go wrong and shows how many admit they struggle with their duty to be transparent.
Independence declaration
By Robin Stride Consultants have unveiled their blueprint for a private health market disruptor aimed at giving them greater control over fees and give patients a bigger say over who treats them. The ambitious move has already received backing from hundreds of specialists and was cheered by doctors at the BMA’s annual private practice conference where the concept was announced.
Rise in beauty ops that needed fixing
By Robin Stride Rising numbers of patients being treated for complications caused by other practitioners are only the tip of the iceberg, warn aesthetic doctors. Members of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) provided treatment to correct 3,547 complications resulting from aesthetic procedures carried out by other practitioners last year – up from 3,523 in 2022-23.
Bittersweet for private GPs
By Robin Stride New figures showing a boom in the UK’s private GP market have sparked mixed emotions among independent doctors. Market analysts LaingBuisson estimates as many as 13% of GP consultations are now private, up from just 3% two decades ago, while the sector is worth around £1.6bn.
Private docs’ view of CQC: ‘Requires improvement’
By Robin Stride New and seasoned independent doctors are counting the cost of being stuck on a costly waiting list to get the official nod to set up and grow their private practices. Problems with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have led to a stream of complaints brought to the attention of the Independent Doctors Federation (IDF) which has pledged a desire to work with the inspectorate to fix problems.
What patients look for when choosing a private consultant
By Robin Stride New research compiled from contacts with hundreds of patients provide a unique insight into what they want to know about consultants before considering approaching them for private treatment. Findings of the unprecedented survey commissioned by the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) give specialists a useful marketing check-list to help turn potential inquiries into business.
Boost for multidisciplinary team meetings
By Robin Stride Consultants in private practice are being recommended to supercharge their multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings using a new toolkit from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN). Designed with the help of senior doctors, hospital group medical directors and others, it aims to assist independent providers to further improve MDT working.
Data breach threats
By Robin Stride Private healthcare providers have been warned to wake up to escalating data breach threats from organised criminals using a vast range of tactics on the unwary. Cyber-attacks are only one method fraudsters try to access confidential information, the audience at market analyst LaingBuisson’s Private Healthcare Summit 2024 heard.
PMI is flying sky high
By Robin Stride New figures signal a boom in work for thousands of doctors in private practice from patients with private medical insurance (PMI). Market analysts have revealed demand for private health cover – including insurance, health cash plans and dental cover – has hit its highest levels since the launch of Independent Practitioner Today in 2008.
Doctor-centric group to open new outpost in Cambridge
By Robin Stride Private consultants and their partners have announced ambitious £55m plans to complete a ‘golden triangle’ of independent care facilities covering major university cities. Welbeck Health Partners’ latest announcement is for a £25m centre to be opened in Cambridge next year as part of the group’s long-term strategy to operate regional day facilities across the UK.
A new era for insurance?
By Robin Stride Doctors and patients are being invited to contribute to research for a major crusade by the Independent Doctors Federation (IDF) to address what it calls ‘restrictions on patient care’ by private medical insurers (PMIs). The initiative aims to create ‘a path for improvement’ to ensure fair treatment of private doctors and avoid patient choice being compromised.
Keep on top of billing
By Robin Stride New figures demonstrating the extent of record business levels for consultants in the independent sector have sparked a timely warning as practices move into the next financial year: ‘Keep on top of your billing’. The advice came after a report from Healthcode revealed providers sent a record 10.2m invoices to insurers through its online clearing service in 2023.
Doctors’ unions recommend new consultant pay offer
By Robin Stride Consultants in England are to be asked to approve a new pay offer following intensive talks between union leaders and the Government. Both the BMA and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) are recommending the draft deal to their members. The new offer builds on changes to the consultant pay scale in the original offer, which doctors rejected, and now includes a 2.85% (£3,000) uplift for those who have been consultants between four and seven years.
Collaboration urged to cut record waiting lists
By Robin Stride The head of the private healthcare providers group has called for improved collaboration between the NHS and independent sector to thrash out lasting solutions to tackle waiting lists. His plea came following an Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report predicted it is ‘unlikely waiting lists will reach pre-pandemic levels’ by December 2027, even under a ‘best-case scenario’.
Big drop in doctors training in private sector
By Robin Stride A huge drop in the number of doctors being trained in the private healthcare sector has been revealed in a new report. Figures from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) two years ago showed over 4,000 had been trained in private hospitals since 2020 under the Doctors In Training initiative – and it was hoped to considerably increase the number.
London PPUs combine
By Robin Stride A new initiative just launched to attract thousands of patients for treatment at five of the capital’s NHS private patient units (PPUs) has raised questions over the future of Healthcare London, a similar scheme announced last year.
Patients warned about travelling abroad for care
By Robin Stride The doctor head of the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) has stepped in to alert patients to the importance of doing their homework before risking surgery abroad. Potential travel tourists are being advised by the organisation to find out about the qualifications and accreditations of the healthcare providers and facilities in their chosen country.
Now ‘get real’ on fees
By Robin Stride Independent practitioners are being exhorted to go to work on their fees for 2024 and ‘get real’ about their charges. According to the chairman of the BMA professional fees committee, many are undercharging and have not fully assessed what they should be asking for. Dr Peter Holden told a record number of 285 delegates at the association’s annual private practice conference in London: ‘We’ve allowed NHS pay rates to dictate our fees but that is not comparing apples with apples.
Freedom to shop around is needed
By Robin Stride Privately insured patients should be able to benefit from ‘portability’ in their arrangements for cover, according to Mr Richard Packard, chairman of the Federation of Independent Practitioner Organisations (FIPO). Speaking from the audience after BMA private fees committee chairman Dr Peter Holden’s well received call for doctors to ‘get real’ about what fees they charged, he suggested patients would find this popular.
Private care labyrinth
By Robin Stride Independent practitioners are losing out due to system failures in turning high levels of private healthcare inquiries into bookings. Although a record year for many in private practice is predicted in 2024, the sector is likely to treat fewer than it could if the patients’ journey was made much easier. Improving the efficiency of the journey from a phone call to treatment is seen as vital by marketing advisers.
Analysts predict surge from private insurance
LaingBuisson private acute healthcare conference By Robin Stride Independent practitioners outside of London can expect a continuing surge in both privately insured and self-pay patients, according to market analysts. LaingBuisson forecasts hospital revenue from private medical insurance will rise 10% next year and 9% in 2025, with a corresponding increase in self-pay of 4% and 3% over the next two years. Revenues from the NHS are set to increase by 7% in 2024 and 6% the year after, it believes.
Private sector ‘should take the lead in cancer’
By Robin Stride A private hospital group boss has urged the independent healthcare sector to seize the opportunity to be at the forefront of cancer care. He argued that the private acute sector could be leading the way in innovative and world-class cancer care. John Reay, president and chief executive of HCA Healthcare UK, challenged providers at Laing-Buisson’s Private Acute Healthcare Conference to ‘shape’ healthcare delivery not just follow it.
Aesthetic op errors rise
By Robin Stride Aesthetic doctors are reporting a ‘staggering rise’ in complications caused by other practitioners. Members of The British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) disclosed they have treated 300 more complications from other practitioners since last year. The total number has risen to 3,523 from 3,323 since 2022. Of the 357 BCAM members surveyed, 82% said they had handled someone else’s complications.
Doctors warned about scammers impersonating the taxman
By Robin Stride High-earning doctors are being warned to be on the alert for scams aimed at hi-jacking tax payments they thought they were paying to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Specialist medical accountants today advised private consultants and GPs to watch out in the run-up to the 31 January deadline for submitting self-assessment tax returns. As the date draws closer, there is often a rise in scams from fraudsters impersonating HMRC.
Private practice boom
By Robin Stride Consultants are gearing up to increase their private practice commitment as independent sector analysts predict a record year for the sector. As many as 43% of specialists responding to a joint Independent Practitioner Today/Medical Defence Union (MDU) survey signalled they were likely to grow their business over the next five years.
GMC reminds striking doctors of their obligations
By Robin Stride As consultants and juniors take further strikes this week, the doctors’ regulating body has voiced its concern for patients and urged for action to bring about a settlement. A GMC spokesperson told Independent Practitioner Today: ‘The GMC has no direct role in this dispute, but we are deeply concerned about the cumulative impact on patients resulting from the ongoing industrial action.
Tough new GMC rules
By Robin Stride Doctors fear workload pressures could expose them to falling foul of new GMC ethical standards guidance due to the time needed to prepare. They voiced concerns about digesting and implementing new standards setting out what it means to be a good doctor in a survey by the Medical Defence Union (MDU).
Videos to help private doctors comply with complaints
By Robin Stride A new series of videos is on the way to help doctors and hospitals in the private healthcare sector comply with their responsibilities when patients make complaints. Consultants and GPs working in more than 300 independent hospitals, clinics and other companies who subscribe to the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS) are required to follow the body’s rules for complaint handling.
Competition watchdog gets tough on failure to display fees
By Robin Stride The competition watchdog this week warned private consultants could end up in court if they drag their feet over the supply of fee transparency data. In an open letter spelling out enforcement action to doctors and independent hospitals, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said all the most active consultants had submitted the information required under the Private Healthcare Market Investigation Order 2014 to the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN).
Self-pay still surging
By Robin Stride The surge in the number of self-paying patients is continuing and is now being experienced nationwide, according to a leading analyst. Self-pay expert Liz Heath says growth in demand for self-pay is being seen across all areas of the UK, including areas that have not traditionally been private healthcare ‘hot spots’, such as Wales and Scotland.
IT system promises to revolutionise booking
By Robin Stride A new national initiative from online IT solutions experts promises to transform private healthcare access by easing the hassle of booking appointments with private doctors and hospitals. With final testing of Healthcode’s integrated channel exchange (ICE) underway, the company’s managing director Peter Connor hailed the development as ‘a game-changer for our sector and for patients’.
Wellington’s ‘Outstanding’ overall CQC rating given the boot
By Robin Stride A leading London hospital’s celebration for achieving an ‘Outstanding’ overall rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was cut short earlier today after the watchdog confessed it had made an extraordinary mistake. Doctors, healthcare staff and managers at HCA Healthcare UK’s flagship The Wellington Hospital were left stunned to find their recent inspection had, in fact, left it one rung below thetop accolade – giving them a ‘Good’.
Drive to boost London
By Robin Stride A boom in overseas patient numbers is being forecast for private doctors in London under a new initiative to present the city as the ‘go to’ destination for independent healthcare. Private hospital providers, collaborating on phase one of the project, have attracted support from the Department of Business and Trade and, if successful, then it could be widened to promote other areas of the UK.
Health therapies are on the rise
Private healthcare summit 2023. By Robin Stride Evidence of the growing use of health therapies in the treatment of private patients has been revealed by IT solutions company Healthcode. Among the top ten claims by specialty for treatments outside of hospital in the six months to 31 March 2023, three were performed by non-GMC registered practitioners.
Learn how to submit data to transparency watchdog
By Robin Stride Consultants in private practice have been invited to make a date with the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) if they still need to learn more about how they should be submitting information to the organisation.
Watchdog gets tough
By Robin Stride ‘Fix your failures – but do it quick!’ That is the message to independent consultants and private hospitals from the competition watchdog after it ‘named and shamed’ providers for failing to fully comply with the requirements of its Private Healthcare Market Investigation Order 2014 (PHO).
Get ready for new CQC inspections
By Robin Stride Independent practitioners are being advised to gear up now for this year’s changes in Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections. It is recommended they should begin reviewing their systems to extract evidence to demonstrate effective quality assurance.
Internet searches for private care soaring
By Robin Stride Interest in private healthcare is surging, with online searches for a range of healthcare-related terms soaring. ‘Private healthcare’ has jumped by 45% year on year and ‘private health insurance’ by 31% when comparing the three months from January to March 2023 to the same period in 2022. Searches for ‘private GP’ shot up by 50%, while ‘private hospitals’ saw an increase of almost 15% and ‘private blood test’ rose by over 21% when comparing the same periods.
New outpatient centre for London Docklands
By Robin Stride An £18m, 20,000 sq.ft outpatients and diagnostics centre is to be opened by HCA Healthcare UK in early 2024 at London’s Canary Wharf. The new centre is an expansion of services currently delivered at nearby 2 Upper Bank Street and will meet growing demand for private healthcare from the area’s professional and residential populations.
Boom time for private GPs
By Robin Stride Over half of the adults in Britain (53%) would consider seeing a private GP in the future, according to a new poll. As many as a third of the 2,000 respondents participating in the survey said they had used a private GP in the past three years. Most (60%) had booked more than one appointment. The Focaldata study findings correspond with rising level of demand for private GPs at Spire Healthcare’s network of private hospitals.
CMA reins in openness
By Robin Stride Consultants have welcomed a pledge to limit the amount of information to be made freely available about their private patient outcomes. Their response follows a new report from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) saying that, for specialists, publication into the public domain of measures beyond volume, length of stay, patient feedback and links to registries is not currently recommended.
Surprise changes to doctors pensions tax issues
THE BUDGET. Lifetime tax-free pensions savings limits removed By Robin Stride Doctors are being advised to seek specialist help as they consider their position after the much-welcomed pensions tax shake-up announced in the Spring Budget. They will no longer face a limit to their overall tax-free pension savings following the Chancellor’s announcement that the lifetime allowance will be abolished.
Beware of raising prices too much
By Robin Stride Consultants who have yet to decide about making any increases to their self-pay fees have been advised to check their patient demographic. According to a self-pay expert who advises specialists and private hospitals, it is ‘wholly reasonable’ for consultants to look to pass on some of the increased costs of doing business.
Fees rise by up to 20%
By Robin Stride Consultants are increasing their fees by up to one fifth in the run-up to the new financial year. Rampant inflation – higher in the medical sector than the UK’s national double-digit rate – has prompted a widespread review of pricing structures for self-pay work. Many specialists are attempting to catch up after realising they have fallen far behind because they usually never considered annual adjustments.
Government reinforces private patients’ safety
By Robin Stride The Government has reported ‘good progress’ towards safer practices affecting independent practitioners, hospitals and patients in the wake of the inquiry into disgraced former surgeon Ian Paterson. In a statement, given alongside an update on developments following recommendations from the former Bishop of Norwich’s inquiry into the affair, junior health minister Maria Caulfield highlighted some of the most important developments.
Becoming an expert witness gets harder
By Robin Stride Lucrative expert medical witness work may be harder for some doctors to find following action launched by the Expert Witness Institute (EWI). With the scrutiny of expert witnesses increasing in recent years, the courts have responded with both criticism and some severe penalties for individuals who put themselves forward as expert witnesses but who do not understand the role or their obligations.
Government meddling cuts consultants’ pay by a third
By Robin Stride Consultants’ earnings for their NHS work have dropped by more than one third in the last 14 years due to Government meddling in the ‘independent’ pay review process, according to anew report. Fiddling by the four governments of the UK has resulted in their earnings falling by a staggering 34.9% in real terms since 2008.
Warning of tough era for private practice
By Robin Stride 2023 has dawned with chilling warnings from a consultants’ leader – and others – about a tougher road ahead for doctors in private practice. According to the new chair of the London Consultants’ Association (LCA), they now face some of the most challenging times he has seen in two decades of independent practice. Mr Ellis Downes warns in this digital issue of Independent Practitioner Today of a wind of change ‘blowing hard in the independent sector’.
Private GPs feel snubbed by CQC
BMA private practice conference. By Robin Stride Private GPs have been shocked to hear they have little chance of getting top marks in Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections. Their hopes of gaining an ‘outstanding’ rating have been dashed by health watchdog inspectors who consider the highest accolade is designed more with NHS GPs in mind. The issue was raised in a speaker’s question time at the BMA’s annual private practice conference by the leader of the Independent Doctors Federation (IDF).
GMC plan to cut anxiety in probes into doctors
By Robin Stride The GMC plans to make initial contact with a doctor by phone in future ‘to reduce anxiety for doctors’ if it needs to investigate a concern. It said the change followed positive feedback from medical defence organisations and was among improvements to take a more compassionate approach and reduce the impact of investigations. A pilot carried out earlier this year found doctors felt more supported when initial phone calls were made, the regulator said.
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