For UK private medical consultants
Your overheads have crept up and are eating your margin
If revenue is growing but take-home isn't keeping pace, the answer is usually in the cost structure. Overheads that crept up gradually during growth can quietly destroy margin without triggering any obvious alarm.
Cost of Inaction
Enter your annual private income and when you last reviewed your fees and costs. The calculator shows the annual revenue erosion behind the margin gap.
How it breaks down
- Annual private revenue£150,000
- Annual margin lost to overhead creep£15,000
Two minutes, no typing, and I read every one myself.
From Paul
Tell me where that £15,000 is coming from, and I'll come back with the three things to fix first.
A few quick questions, about two minutes, and no typing. I read every one myself and reply with the three things costing you most and where I'd start. If it's useful, we talk. If not, you've still got a clear picture.
No obligation, no sales call unless you ask for one, and nothing automated lands in your inbox.
Paul, Solvable
- The consultant feels they are on a treadmill, needing to see more patients just to stand still financially
- Frustration when reviewing the annual accounts and seeing high gross revenue but disappointing net profit
- Reluctance to hire a much-needed medical secretary due to perceived cost
- Anxiety around fee-setting, fearing that raising prices will deter patients but keeping them static hurts margins
- Underinvestment in administrative staff leading to burnout
- Reliance on outdated legacy software systems
- Steady erosion of net take-home pay despite revenue growth
- Increased personal tax burdens if structures are inefficient
- Reduced consultation times to maintain volume
- Reluctance to invest in new clinical equipment
- Perception of being 'too expensive' if fees are raised abruptly to cover costs
- Reduced patient experience due to understaffed reception
Medical practice overhead costs typically consume 60% of revenue, with operating expenses rising 11.1% year-on-year in 2025 (MGMA, 2025)
Source: Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), 2025
Frequently asked questions
Why does this problem persist?
Private practice overheads accumulate gradually. Room hire, PA costs, indemnity, subscriptions, and software all increase year on year. Most consultants don't do a structured review until the margin has already gone.
What is the cost of leaving it unaddressed?
Insurer pressure on fee-setting is directly eroding private practice financial viability (BMA, 2022)
This is exactly what I do with UK private practices. Answer the few questions above and I'll come back personally with where to start. Paul.