July-August 2023 Issue 154
www.independent-practitioner-today.co.uk
INDEPENDENT PRACTITIONER TODAY
How to challenge the CQC inspector
The business journal for doctors in private practice
In this issue
Don’t fall foul of the drug advert rules
The Advertising Standards Authority spells out the law for doctors P18
Defending medico-legal claims is eye-watering
What can be learned from the claims the MDU receives from ophthalmology members P20
£12.50
n See page 30 Take the pressure off your secretary
The warning signs to look for to assess when your practice needs help P28
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. The author of the newly published fifth edition of Laing Buisson’s Private Healthcare Self-Pay UK Market Report states that research from multiple sources shows many patients are viewing a private doctor option for the first time. But she warns they may have little knowledge of how to navigate the system and need support along the way. In this issue of Independent Pract itioner Today (page 12), she gives consultants who are aiming to boost their self-pay income some useful tips. And she stresses it is crucial to ensure prospective patients receive prompt responses to their inquiries and are signposted to the right choice for them. ‘Inaccurate contact information or a lack of response gives a poor impression to a potential patient in a climate where we are all used to immediacy and “on demand” services,’ Mrs Heath says.
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SELF-PAY KEY POINTS
➤ Confidence in the market remains high. Just over 53% of respondents to a LaingBuisson survey believe the self-pay market will grow by 10-15% in the next three years. ➤ The NHS faces challenges in meeting elective treatment demands and experiences increased waiting times for diagnostic tests.
➤ Providers have diverse pricing strategies for self-pay and cosmetic procedures, with some adopting regionalised or harmonised pricing structures while others rely on local pricing. Liz Heath, author of the Laing Buisson self-pay report ‘Affordability is frequently cited as a key decision-making factor by patients and visibility of consultant fees is a positive step. ‘LaingBuisson’s pricing analysis found that most procedure prices reviewed had increased broadly in line with general and medical inflation, but there is still a vast range in some cases between highest and lowest prices.’ She went on to explain that the guide price for a primary knee replacement varies across the UK between around £9,0 0 0 and £17,000, which is unhelpful and confusing for the consumer. The average guide price in 2023 is £13,781, a rise of 5.17% on 2021-22. Despite inflation concerns, market analysts LaingBuisson observe a growing interest in self-payfunded procedures, ‘most likely fuelled by long NHS waiting lists’. It reports that some providers
➤ NHS private patient units (PPUs) have the potential to compete with the independent sector locally by improving their access to high-quality NHS care. Some NHS trusts are making better efforts to attract self-pay customers.
➤ Future growth projects are challenging due to constraints on private sector capacity expansion, primarily related to staff and resourcing, However, all indicators are that self-pay growth will continue.
➤ The key legacy of Covid-19 is greater use of technology across
healthcare providers. Their challenge now is to embrace the opportunity to extend the patient relationship with the help of technology. Source: 5th edition of LaingBuission’s Private Healthcare Self-Pay UK Market Report have regionalised or harmonised their price structures across the UK while others stick to local pricing ‘with localism a large factor for consumers’. There is little evidence of a ‘race to the bottom’ in price competitiveness. Prices for the highest volume self-pay and cosmetic surgery procedures have risen but are below overall inflation. Some NHS private patient units (PPUs) are making efforts to attract self-pay customers, but Laing
Buisson says consultants working in others are potentially missing out on an opportunity to compete locally with the independent sector. This is due to PPUs’ failure to capitalise on their access to highquality NHS care. It warns that the scale of future growth is difficult to estimate due to constraints on the private sector’s ability to expand capacity – primarily related to staffing and resourcing shortages. ➱ continued on page 5