Established practice
Growth is happening, but no one can say where it's heading
Opportunism gets most independent clinics to a point. Beyond it, reacting to what arrives rather than planning what comes next costs you margin, people, and momentum, often before you notice.
- steps
- 7
- steps
- to start
- 2 days
- to start
The short answer
Opportunistic growth works until the clinic is too big for the owner to hold every decision. A usable strategy is short: where your income and margin really come from, three priorities for the next 12 to 24 months, what you will stop doing, and the numbers you will track monthly. You can draft it in two days with your own data.
7 steps
Do it yourself: step by step
0 of 7 done
Pull 3 years of income, volume and margin by service, payer and clinician, plus capacity use by room and session
- Time
- 2 days
- Typical cost
- £0
- Who does it
- practice manager with accountant
Done when: One sheet shows where income and margin come from
This problem is Solvable.
Copy this template
One-page clinic strategy
Free to copy, adapt and use. No sign-up.
[Clinic name] strategy, [year] to [year]
Where we are now
- Annual income: £[ ] Margin: [ ]%
- Top three services by margin: [ ], [ ], [ ]
- Payer mix: insured [ ]%, self-pay [ ]%, NHS [ ]%, other [ ]%
- Capacity use: [ ]% of bookable sessions filled
What patients and referrers value
- [ ]
- [ ]
- [ ]
Our three priorities
| Priority | Why | Owner | Target by [date] | First step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| [ ] | ||||
| [ ] |
What we will stop
Monthly measures
| Measure | Now | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Income | ||
| Margin | ||
| New patients | ||
| Referrals by top 5 sources | ||
| Capacity use | ||
| Waiting time to first appointment | ||
| Patient feedback score |
Review dates: [ ], [ ], [ ], [ ]
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Choosing too many priorities, so none get done.
- Planning from income rather than margin, and growing the least profitable services.
- Never deciding what to stop.
- Writing a long strategy document nobody reads after the away day.
- Not asking referrers, who often know your reputation better than you do.
Free tools
Check where you stand
Benchmarks
£5.7 billion
Size of the UK market for independent clinics and privately practising doctors in 2024
Source: LaingBuisson, Private Acute Healthcare UK Market Report (press release, 4 December 2025)
6.9%
Nominal growth of independent acute hospitals in 2024 (4.2% in real terms), down from 9.8% to 13.7% a year over the previous three years
Source: LaingBuisson, as above
Paul Robinson
14 years in UK private healthcare
I solve this one for clinic and hospital teams
Want a hand? I'll look at your situation and tell you the three things I'd tackle first.
A few quick questions, about two minutes. I read every one myself and usually reply the same day.
No sales call unless you ask for one. Just a straight answer from me.
I reply personally, usually the same day.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long should a strategy be?
One page for the team, with supporting numbers behind it.
How far ahead should we plan?
12 to 24 months for priorities. Longer than that is guesswork for most clinics.
Should we involve clinicians?
Yes, the senior ones. They will deliver it.
What if the data is poor?
Start with what you have. Improving the data can be one of the three priorities.
Do we need a consultant to do this?
Not to draft it. An outside view can help challenge assumptions.
Last reviewed:
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