Why 80% of GP letters are discarded
Most letters sent to general practitioners focus on the consultant's CV rather than how they make a GP's day easier. Here is what actually earns a place on the desk.
3 min readPractical guides & tools
Free resources for private practice
Practical guides and checklists for setting up and running a private practice — costs, referrer letters, support staff, and a twenty-point website check.
Free to read · No sign-up needed
Practice Insights
AI search & private referrals in 2026
When patients ask ChatGPT or Gemini who to see for knee replacement or hernia repair, where does the answer come from? How structured data shapes your findability.
4 min readThe hidden cost of slow practice setup
Why assembling suppliers in evenings between clinical lists ends up costing more in lost clinic sessions than a managed accelerator build.
5 min readDownloadable toolkits
Download practical guides
Free to download — we will just ask for your professional details and where to send the document.
Recommended starting check
Your practice website: a twenty-point check
Score your own site in ten minutes. Most score lower than they expect.
Practice Guide
The private practice set-up checklist
Everything to sort before your first private patient, in the order it actually needs sorting.
Practice Guide
What it really costs to set up a private practice
A line-by-line breakdown of the costs most people discover one invoice at a time.
Practice Guide
Writing to GPs and referrers
Why most referrer letters are thrown away unopened, and what the ones that work have in common.
Practice Guide
Secretary, PA, management company, billing company, all, or none?
A short decision guide to the support your practice actually needs at each stage.
Complete Reference Library
06
Does your practice look established?
Visual credibility signals and how prospective patients evaluate professional websites.
07
Anatomy of a great consultant biography
Writing a biography that builds trust with patients and referrers without sounding academic.
08
Collecting patient reviews compliantly
How to gather verified patient feedback under GMC and advertising standards guidelines.
09
DIY, done with you, or done for you
Comparing the three routes to launching a practice, and where each model makes sense.
10
The first 90 days in private practice
A structured schedule for clinic sessions, administrative workflows, and referrer outreach.
11
Naming your practice
Legal, regulatory, and branding implications when choosing a business name.
12
Sole trader, limited company or LLP
Commercial and tax considerations for structuring your private medical practice.
13
Practising privileges checklist
Required governance documents and compliance verification for private hospital facilities.
14
Getting recognised by private insurers
Step-by-step accreditation guide across major private medical insurance providers.
15
Setting your self-pay fees
Market positioning, competitive pricing ranges, and transparent fee schedules.
16
Getting paid: billing, chasing & fee management
Practical invoicing protocols, payment gateways, and bad-debt prevention.
17
Patient records and data protection
Information Commissioner's Office obligations, clinic notes security, and UK GDPR.
18
What you can and cannot say in marketing
ASA and GMC regulatory guidelines on medical marketing and claims.
19
Consent, complaints and governance
Clinical risk protocols, patient complaints procedure, and governance frameworks.
20
First-year cost planner
Spreadsheet and budget planner covering upfront setup and rolling monthly overheads.
Book a discovery call
Twenty minutes with Practiva’s director, no charge, no obligation. We will discuss your practice and what you want it to look like in a year.