3 INDEPENDENT PRACTITIONER To day www.independent-practitioner-today.co.uk
March 2014 Issue 59
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THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR DOCTORS WITH A PRIVATE PRACTICE
In this issue
The pitfalls of partnerships
Learning lessons of my fall
Avoid these ten common errors that ensure failure when setting up in partnership P32
A Harley Street doctor relates his ‘Robert the Bruce’ story of rising again P16
ISSUES FREE!
Mark of a good leader
The qualities of a good leader are more elusive than being a competent manager P36
March of the ‘NIPs’
record growth in ‘New independent practitioners’ will stiffen competition By Robin Stride Competition among consultants is set to intensify as thousands of new entrants into private practice build up their businesses. Private healthcare analysts have revealed the number of ‘NIPs’ – new independent practitioners – has never been higher. Over 3,700 doctors have launched a private practice in the UK since 2011 – and numbers are still grow ing as younger specialists seek to boost stagnant NHS incomes and take on new challenges. ‘NIPs’ numbers have shot up by 60% in just 36 months, rising from 1,008 in 2010 to 1,612 last year. Figures collated for Independent Practitioner Today by independent sector online solutions experts Healthcode show a typical practi tioner entering private practice is a
According to Healthcode’s analysis, over 60% of the 3,741 consultants entering private practice in the last three years were from the following specialties: 1. Anaesthesia (13%) 6. Obstetrics and gynaecology (5%) 2. Trauma & orthopaedic surgery (10%) 7. Ophthalmology (5%) 3. General surgery (9%) 8. Urology (3%) 4. Clinical radiology (6%) 9. Paediatrics (3%) 5. Cardiology (6%) 10. Dermatology (3%) male anaesthetist who joined the specialty register eight years ago. But while most popular spec ialties among the new cohort broadly reflect the GMC’s register, women remain significantly underrepresented. Healthcode’s managing director Peter Connor warned that the sheer numbers now taking on private work signalled that competition in the sector would become more intense in the coming years. He said: ‘We have certainly seen
FREE INSIDE! Our 2014 Guide to Tax for Private Doctors A supplement showing how best to avoid the taxman’s clutches In association with
the highest rate of increase over the last recent years. A reason, which may help explain the recent trend, could be the NHS Any Qualified Provider (AQP) commissioning programme, which as a conse quence has encouraged more pro viders to enter private practice.’ As the clearing house for online billing, his company processes around 15,000 transactions daily and its analysis is based on an extensive database of private hospi tals and consultants.
The figures broadly reflect the GMC’s latest registration statistics, where anaesthetists represent 11.67% of doctors on the specialist register. The number of anaesthe tists entering independent practice rose from 90 in 2011 to 254 in 2013. Clinical radiology also saw a sig nificant increase, from 44 new ind ependent consultants in 2011 – the seventh most common specialty – to 136 in 2013 when they were sec ond in that year’s top ten. Other areas of clinical practice that are traditionally strong within the private health sector are trauma and orthopaedic surgery, ophthal mology and dermatology. But in the three years since 2011, the per centage of new orthopaedic and trauma specialists in each year fell slightly from 11% in 2011 to 8% in 2013.
n Women doctors: see page 2