Key points
- UK private admissions reached a record 247,495 in the first quarter of 2026, with self-pay up 7.7%.5 Take insured and self-pay patients through the same system.
- CQC Regulation 17 requires an accurate, complete and contemporaneous record for each patient, kept securely, and a written report to CQC when requested.1
- Health data is special category data under UK GDPR, and a clinic that uses personal information pays the ICO data protection fee unless exempt.23
- Insurer claims run on the CCSD Schedule, so procedure codes come from the signed note.4
- wai keeps the note, the booking, the payment and the claim on one record, with every action logged and exportable.678
Summary
Choose software that produces a complete, contemporaneous record for CQC, protects health data under UK GDPR, codes insurer claims from the note and takes self-pay bookings with payment on the clinic's own website. Test each in the demo with your own services, and get the data location and export terms in writing.
The clinic passes inspection on the records it already keeps, and every patient is paid for first time, insured or self-pay. The regulatory duties below set what the software has to do, and the scorecard shows how to test it.
See it in your clinicThirty minutes on your own patients and doctors.
Request a demoSee a self-pay booking, a signed note and an insurer claim come from the same patient record, in fifteen minutes with a clinician who uses wai daily.
| Requirement | Where it comes from | Test it in the demo |
|---|---|---|
| Contemporaneous, complete record | CQC Regulation 17 | Show a signed note with its timestamp and every later edit |
| Report to CQC on request | CQC Regulation 17 | Export a patient's record and the access log in minutes |
| Staff and management records | CQC Regulation 17 | Show who has access to what, by role |
| Health data protected | UK GDPR special category data | Name the storage country and every subprocessor |
| Data protection fee paid | Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018 | Confirm the supplier is named as a processor in your records |
| Insurer claims coded from the note | CCSD Schedule | Code a procedure you bill often from a signed note |
| Self-pay booking and payment | Patient demand, self-pay at a record high | Book and pay on your own website in three taps |
| Exit | Your contract | Export every record in a standard format before signing |
Two payers, one diary
PHIN's national data shows private admissions at 247,495 in the first quarter of 2026, a new record. Self-pay admissions rose 7.7% to their highest level, and insured admissions fell 2.6%, the first first-quarter decline in five years.5
Run both paths in one system, with card payment at online booking for self-pay and coded claims for insured patients.
CQC records, produced in two minutes
CQC registers the clinic, as set out in CQC registration for a private clinic, and the software is where the clinic shows it meets the regulations.
Regulation 17 requires a provider to maintain securely an accurate, complete and contemporaneous record for each person, including the care provided and decisions taken, along with staff and management records. When CQC asks, the provider sends a written report on how it meets the regulation.1 Software for CQC compliance maps the other regulations.
In the demo, open a patient seen last month. The record holds consent, findings, the plan and every letter sent, each signed and dated, with every later edit, who made it, and which staff roles can open it.
ICO registration and health data
Under the Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018, organisations, including sole traders, that use personal information pay the ICO data protection fee unless exempt.2 Check the fee is paid before go-live and name each software supplier as a processor in your records.
Health data is one of the special categories of personal data that UK GDPR gives extra protection.3 Ask where records are stored, how access is logged and what the export looks like. wai hosts each clinic's records in its own country, under that country's rules. We set this up with your clinic.
Insurer billing from the note
Private insurers pay against procedure codes from the CCSD Schedule, developed and licensed by a group of representatives of four major private healthcare insurers.4 A claim is paid first time when the code matches the procedure in the signed note and the invoice matches the policy.
Test this with a procedure you bill often. The code is suggested from the note and confirmed by the clinician, then the claim goes to the insurer, as set out in billing private medical insurers.
The booking, note and claim on one wai record
wai Checkout takes self-pay bookings and card payment on the clinic's own website through the clinic's own Stripe account, with no wai subscription or setup fee.6 wai Clinicians drafts the note and letters during the consultation for the clinician to sign. wai Admin extracts codes from the signed note and prepares claims for insurers for the team to approve.7
Every draft, approval and signature is written to an event log the clinic can export, and access is role-based and least-privilege.8
Where to start
Confirm the clinic's CQC registration and ICO fee are current, and list every system that holds patient data. Record last quarter's claim rejection rate and the share of self-pay bookings taken online. Ask each supplier for its subprocessor list and data processing agreement before the demo.
Take the scorecard into each demo with your own prices and a procedure you bill often. Choose the system that leaves you inspection-ready on day one and moves both numbers in the first quarter.
Bring a procedure you bill often and your price list. We show the booking, the signed note and the claim on one record.
Frequently asked questions
Does CQC register the clinic or its software?
The clinic. CQC registers the provider, and the software is where the clinic keeps the records Regulation 17 requires.1
Does a private clinic need to pay the ICO fee?
Organisations, including sole traders, that use personal information must pay the data protection fee unless they are exempt.2
What does Regulation 17 say about records?
It requires an accurate, complete and contemporaneous record for each person, kept securely, including care given and decisions taken.1
Which codes do UK private insurers use?
Codes from the CCSD Schedule, developed and licensed by a group of representatives from four major private healthcare insurers.4
How fast is self-pay growing?
Self-pay admissions rose 7.7% in a year to their highest level, while insured admissions fell 2.6%.5
Where does wai host UK clinic records?
wai hosts each clinic's records in its own country, under that country's rules. We set this up with your clinic.8
Sources
- 1Care Quality CommissionRegulation 17, good governanceRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 2Information Commissioner's OfficeData protection feeRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 3Information Commissioner's OfficeWhat is special category dataRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 4CCSD GroupAbout the CCSD Group and the CCSD ScheduleRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 5Private Healthcare Information Network, 2026Private healthcare market update, September 2026, United KingdomRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 6wai, 2026wai Checkout, booking and payment on your own websiteRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 7wai, 2026wai Admin, the front desk and back officeRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 8wai, 2026Security at waiRead 14 October 2026Read source
Ready for inspection, and every patient paid for first time.
Fifteen minutes on your own services and a procedure you bill often, with a clinician who uses wai daily. We reply within one working day.
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