October 2017 Issue 95
www.independent-practitioner-today.co.uk
INDEPENDENT PRACTITIONER TODAY
£12.50
New to private practice? See p40 Don’t allow taxman to steamroller you
The business journal for doctors in private practice
In this issue
Avoid the usual howlers
A look at private doctors’ biggest business howlers and how to avoid them P12
When Dr Google gets in the way How to manage requests for treatment from patients who come armed with internet diagnoses P26
Make your financial affairs plain sailing
Assessing the added value that comes from engaging a financial adviser P36
Stress hits new levels By Robin Stride
Mounting numbers of independ ent practitioners are being helped to reduce stress levels brought on by rising pressures in private prac tice. Psychologists at one City prac tice say tension factors include financial concerns arising from higher expenses on indemnity cover, rooms and secretaries. They are also losing out due to static income from private medical insurers, having to work harder to match previous year’s profits, and fears about being selected for a costly tax probe. Increased administrative paper work and red tape from newer requirements – including Care Quality Commission (CQC) insp ections, revalidation and appraisal – is also taking its toll. Consultant counselling psychol ogist Dr Michael Sinclair told Independent Practitioner Today: ‘I am seeing increased stress among doc tors in private practice, consultants and GPs. ‘I can’t give figures, but there are a larger number coming along for psychological assistance. ‘Stress leads to burn-out and you find you are running on empty. Motivation and enthusiasm goes and that has a dramatic impact on running a successful business, the finances and clinical practice. It can dramatically affect performance.’ In association with
Dr Sinclair, clinical director of City Psychology Group, said another reason for a rise in num bers was that professionals were now more willing to own up if they were not coping too well. His group, with London clinics in Liverpool Street, Harley Street and Canary Wharf, is reporting increas ing demand across the board and has doubled its number of psychol ogists to 25 in a year. He said doctor patients had spoken of how their costs had risen, the impact on finances and incr eased expenses arising from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) private healthcare probe. ‘CQC preparation is lengthy and laborious on top of the stresses and strains and administration. It’s another extra. All these situations we are hearing from doctors mean they meet the criteria for stress. ‘They are threatening and taxing, and people don’t have the resources to meet demands. Doctors are already busy meeting the demands of clinical practice.’ Dr Sinclair said divorces were also on the rise. ‘Working in a highpressured role and job is demand ing on our time. It takes us away from home life and can impact on personal relationships and when stressed at work, it can change our behaviour. ‘That can have a negative impact on our relationships at home, caus ing unrest and people are stuck not
knowing which way to turn. They need to earn and support the fam ily and then come arguments – and it’s costly.’ Requirements of the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN), which the CMA has directed to publish consultants’ fees and outcomes [see p4], could create more pressure, he added. ‘Anything that exposes us and makes us feel under scrutiny can put us under stress.’ Steve Crone, Royal Medical Benevolent Fund (RMBF) chief executive, said most of the chari
ty’s beneficiaries last year asked for help due to mental health prob lems affecting their ability to work. ‘We can see a clear trend over recent years: stress-related issues are on the rise across the medical profession,’ Mr Crone said. ‘Helping doctors through these difficulties is the reason we jointly launched DocHealth with the BMA last year, a confidential psycho therapeutic consultation service that has so far supported nearly 150 doctors with stress-related anx iety and depression.’ ➱ continued on page 2
Coping with stress
See our new series for Independent Practitioner Today this month where Dr Michael Sinclair sets out some coping strategies for tackling stress. He says: ‘Stress is often the elephant in the room when it comes to the high-performing health professionals whom I’ve worked with. ‘I see many medical consultants, some at the very top of their game, struggling with stress, often for far too long. ‘Many of these doctors have been delaying seeking help, suffering in silence for fear of being found out as not coping or not being good enough at their job. ‘In their attempt to eradicate stress and avoid any of the nasty feelings that may come with others knowing that they aren’t coping too well, they have engaged in a number of very unhelpful, yet understandable, coping strategies that Xxxxx have made their problems much worse, in the longer term anyway.’ SEE PAGE 14