Lila's Desk
Lila's Desk
Published 02 October 2026
Most practices invest in a Practice Management System (PMS) expecting it to make administration easier. However, having the software alone is not enough to ensure a smoothly run clinic.
First of all, not all consultants in private practice want to grow their practice. Some are perfectly happy seeing the occasional private patient before or after their NHS work, and that’s absolutely fine.
But what about those who are ambitious and want to grow? Here are some of the things I have discussed with consultants over the years.
“It is much easier to maintain that standard of care when the administrative side of the practice is professionally managed. “
Founder of Lila’s Desk
I would say it depends.
Are you offering something unique and want to educate your audience about it? Then yes. Are you planning to invest in marketing activities? Then also yes.
However, if you intend simply to register with all the insurers, apply for practising privileges, set up regular clinics, and rely on insurer referrals and hospital booking teams to fill them, then a website is probably unnecessary.
You will already have an online presence through platforms such as Bupa Finder and your hospital profile pages.
To start with, be someone that people want to recommend. Complete your medical reports promptly, be prepared to answer reasonable follow-up questions after appointments, and maintain some flexibility in your schedule.
For example, if a GP refers a patient to you and your secretary promptly confirms the appointment, sends a clear clinic letter without delay, and generally makes the process straightforward, that GP is more likely to refer patients to you again.
People talk to each other. They leave online reviews. Consultants who provide excellent care tend to be recommended more often.
Speaking of reviews, make sure they are being collected. Whether through Google (free of charge) or Doctify (subscription-based), most people are accustomed to checking online reviews before making decisions, and positive reviews can be incredibly helpful.
It is also important to be available. Having regular clinic availability means that when a patient calls, an appointment can be offered without a lengthy wait.
I know I may be biased, and this may sound like an obvious sales pitch, but I genuinely believe that good administrative support is key. Many of the points above can only be achieved with reliable, high-quality admin support.
Administrative staff cannot generate referrals or create leads directly, but once contact has been established, a friendly yet professional secretary can make the difference between an enquiry and a confirmed booking.
A proactive secretary who notices that your clinics are fully booked and patients are waiting for appointments, or who identifies recurring issues with a particular insurer that need to be addressed, can play an important role in helping your practice grow.
I have no statistical data to support this claim, but there seem to be certain specialties that simply do not experience the same level of growth in the private sector as others.
My assumption is that, in some specialties, patients generally receive adequate care through the NHS and therefore feel less need to seek private treatment. As a result, the flow of private patients may be more limited, regardless of how much effort is invested in marketing, administration, or patient experience.
On the other hand, there are specialties that often seem to grow with relatively little additional effort. For these, NHS demand is high, waiting times can be long, and many patients are willing to pay for faster access to care.
Of course, every consultant and local market is different, but sometimes the pace at which a private practice grows has as much to do with the specialty itself as it does with the efforts of the consultant and their team.
A quick disclaimer: Everything I’ve shared here is based on my own observations and experiences over the years. I don’t have scientific studies, published research, or statistical evidence to back these views up, so take them as personal reflections rather than established facts. 
Most modern PMS platforms allow patient details to be automatically populated into booking and request forms. Ensuring these forms are set up correctly for each practice location can save a substantial amount of administrative time.
For example, one of the most common forms I complete is the HCA London Bridge Hospital booking form. When completed manually, it takes approximately 15 minutes. Using the automation available within the PMS, the same form can be completed in just a few seconds.
These time savings may seem small individually, but they quickly add up across hundreds of patient interactions each year.
Ultimately, there is no single formula for growing a private practice. What works for one consultant may not work for another. But providing a good patient experience, being easy to work with, staying available, and having reliable support behind you can create the right conditions for steady, sustainable growth.
