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Opening a clinic in London

How to open a private clinic in London

To open a private clinic in London, register with the Care Quality Commission for each regulated activity before you treat a patient, with enhanced DBS checks, a registered manager where one is required and eleven supporting documents. From the first appointment, wai runs booking, signed notes, consent, messaging and payments on one record, the record CQC will later assess.

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Updated . Every rule is checked against the official source and cited below.

A man in a dark suit walks past a sunlit stone wall into a clinic lobby with tall lamps

Regulator

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

Doctors

General Medical Council

Data

UK GDPR, with the ICO

Records

Hosted in the United Kingdom

Six steps to an open clinic in London

  1. Who licenses a private clinic in London, and in what order?Step 01
  2. What must the premises be ready for before CQC registers a London clinic?Step 02
  3. What insurance and indemnity does a London clinic need?Step 03
  4. What checks does CQC expect before a London clinic hires staff?Step 04
  5. What has to be in place before the first London patient?Step 05
  6. What matters in a London clinic's first 90 days?Step 06

How to open a clinic in London, step by step

From the licence to the first 90 days, in the order a founder meets each step.

01Licensing and the regulator

Who licenses a private clinic in London, and in what order?

The Care Quality Commission. Any person or organisation carrying on a regulated activity in England must be registered with CQC, and doing it unregistered is an offence.1

  • Confirm your scope. Decide which regulated activities you will carry on, at which locations, against CQC's scope guidance, updated on 27 August 2026 for treatment of disease, disorder or injury.2
  • Start the enhanced DBS checks early. Each registered person needs one, it can take up to 60 working days, and certificates over 12 months old are rejected.3
  • Name a registered manager if you are an organisation or partnership, or an individual who will not run the activity day to day.4
  • Prepare the eleven documents every provider sends, from the statement of purpose to the safeguarding policy. Incomplete or out of date documents are rejected at the first checks.5
  • Apply only when ready. CQC describes its assessment as rigorous, says it can take several months, and may interview you and visit before it decides.46
  • Read the decision. A Notice of Decision lets you provide the care specified. A Notice of Proposal to refuse gives you 28 calendar days to make representations.7

02Premises and fit-out

What must the premises be ready for before CQC registers a London clinic?

CQC visits most new services before deciding, and may refuse an application if the premises are not suitable, for example if records cannot be kept safe and secure.6

  • Have the location and staff ready to provide the service before you apply, because CQC cannot hold an application that is not ready.4
  • Send a building control final certificate with the application where the location needs building regulations approval.5
  • Hold a public and employer liability insurance quote or certificate for the premises, one of the eleven documents.5
  • Pay the ICO's data protection fee, which organisations that use personal information must pay unless exempt.8

03Indemnity and insurance

What insurance and indemnity does a London clinic need?

Every doctor must hold adequate and appropriate insurance or indemnity covering the full scope of their UK practice, in place by the time they begin to practise, and private work needs its own arrangements.9

  • Ask each doctor for confirmation of their cover before they start. The GMC does not hold a record of a doctor's insurance or indemnity details.9
  • Check cover for work outside an NHS body, which the NHS clinical negligence schemes do not reach, even when it happens on NHS premises.9
  • Hold public and employer liability cover for the clinic itself, which CQC asks to see in the application.5
  • A doctor holding an EU wide policy must confirm it covers UK work, at the value of a UK policy.9

04Hiring and credentialing

What checks does CQC expect before a London clinic hires staff?

Regulation 19 requires fit and proper staff and recruitment procedures that work, and Schedule 3 of the 2014 Regulations lists the information to hold for each person, confirmed before they start.1011

  • Keep one file per person with proof of identity, a criminal record certificate where required, conduct in previous care work, qualifications and a full employment history with gaps explained.11
  • Treat agency, bank and contract staff and volunteers as employed for Regulation 19.10
  • Check that every clinician's professional registration is current, and keep checking after they start.10
  • Apply the same fit and proper test to directors under Regulation 5 where the provider is a company.12

05Patient-facing setup

What has to be in place before the first London patient?

Consent, a contemporaneous record and a complaints system are legal duties from the first visit, under Regulations 11, 17 and 16.131415

  • Record consent before care is given, with what was explained and when the person agreed.13
  • Keep an accurate, complete and contemporaneous record for every patient, held securely.14
  • Run a complaints system patients can reach, and keep every complaint and response in one place.15
  • Health data is special category data, and the ICO lists innovative technology, AI included, among the criteria that call for a DPIA alongside another high-risk factor.1617
  • Plan for languages. 78.4% of Londoners had English as their main language at Census 2021, the lowest of any English region.18

06The first 90 days

What matters in a London clinic's first 90 days?

A newly registered service usually has all its quality statements assessed within 12 months of registration, so the systems you open with are the ones CQC will rate.19

  • Be ready to send a written report on how you monitor quality and safety within 28 days of CQC asking.14
  • Keep a complaints summary you can send within 28 days of a request.15
  • Notify CQC of the events and changes its notifications guidance lists, including changes to your statement of purpose.20
  • Run the duty of candour from the first incident, with a written record of every meeting and communication.21
  • Re-check professional registration on a cycle, and record each check with its date.10
A white stucco clinic front with an arched doorway, iron railings and a man walking past in the sun

How wai runs a London clinic from day one

From the day registration is granted, a London clinic runs its diary, notes, payments and patient conversations on one record, with the evidence CQC asks for kept as the work happens.

  1. 01

    Appointments

    Patients request appointments from your own website at any hour, with a reminder before every visit and cancelled slots offered to the waitlist.

    Online booking from your own website, every clinician's diary read from their calendar, reminders, rebooking after a missed visit and waitlist offers when a slot opens.

    For patients
    Online booking at any hour, with a reminder before the visit.
    For the business
    Fewer missed appointments, and cancelled slots offered to the waitlist.
    On the record
    Every booking, reminder and change, with a time and a name.
  2. 02

    Billing

    Card payments go to your clinic's own account, with the cancellation policy shown before the patient commits and an export for your accountant.

    Card payments into your own Stripe account, the cancellation policy shown at booking, invoices, statements and reconciliation, with an export for your accountant.

    For patients
    A clear price and policy before they commit, and an invoice in their app.
    For the business
    Payments reconciled against visits, with an export for your accountant.
    On the record
    What was charged, when, against which visit, and the policy the patient saw.
  3. 03

    Scribe

    The note, letters and referrals are drafted from the consultation and cited to NICE, for the clinician to read, edit and sign as the contemporaneous record Regulation 17 asks for.

    The note, letters and referrals written from the consultation, cited to guidelines such as NICE, with the transcript beside the note, for the clinician to read, edit and sign.

    For patients
    The clinician's attention stays on them during the consultation.
    For the business
    Less time spent writing notes after clinic.
    On the record
    A contemporaneous note, signed, with the time, the signature and the source it cites.
  4. 04

    Follow-up

    WhatsApp, email and calls land in one thread per patient, with replies drafted in the language the patient wrote in for your team to approve.

    WhatsApp, email and calls in one thread per patient, replies drafted in the patient's own language for your team to approve, a response clock on every new enquiry, and recalls a clinician approves.

    For patients
    A reply in the language they wrote in, approved by your team.
    For the business
    More enquiries answered within the hour, when they are most likely to book.
    On the record
    The whole conversation on one record, with response times.
  5. 05

    Evidence and audit trail

    Consent is recorded at booking, safeguarding notes and controlled drug flags sit in the record, and every read is logged against a named account.

    Recording consent taken at booking, referrals written from the visit, patient flags for controlled drugs and safeguarding notes, and every read of a record logged against a named account.

    For patients
    Flags and checks in the record at the point of care.
    For the business
    Incident reviews that start from the audit trail, with times and names.
    On the record
    Who saw what, who changed what, and when, to the minute.
  6. 06

    Staff access

    Every person has a named account and a role enforced in the database, and the clinician's GMC number appears on every letter they sign.

    Named accounts for every person, role-based access enforced in the database, and the clinician's GMC number on every letter they sign.

    For patients
    Their record seen only by staff whose role allows it.
    For the business
    Access and actions tied to named people, in the same system as the record.
    On the record
    Who holds which role, and every action taken under it.
  7. 07

    Reporting

    Takings, front desk and response time reports for any period, ready on the day CQC asks for a governance report.

    Takings, front desk and website reports, response targets, and the patient's own record exportable on request.

    For patients
    A copy of their record when they ask for it.
    For the business
    Weekly reports for leaders on response times, the front desk and takings.
    On the record
    Reports for any period, produced on the day they are asked for.

A clinic in England has its records hosted in the United Kingdom. Prices for clinics, groups and hospitals are on the wai pricing page.

What a well-run clinic gains

Patients answered within the hour, clinicians home on time and diaries that stay full, in published research.

  1. 7x

    An enquiry answered within the hour is nearly seven times as likely to become a real conversation.22

  2. 30%

    Clinicians using an ambient scribe did 30% less work after hours.23

  3. 23%

    Patients sent a notification before their visit were 23% more likely to attend.24

Customer story, The Wellness, London

Every clinician at The Wellness has 15 hours a week back.

The Wellness, a private clinic on Portman Square in London, runs its diary, front desk, patient records, notes, payments and follow-up on wai.

  1. 15 hrsreturned to each clinician, every week
  2. 0missed calls since the first Monday
  3. 31%more new-patient enquiries turned into visits

Read the story of The Wellness

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Questions

How long does CQC registration take?

CQC says its assessment is rigorous and can take several months.4 The enhanced DBS check alone can take up to 60 working days, so start it first.3

Can a London clinic see patients before CQC registers it?

No, not for a regulated activity. Carrying on a regulated activity in England without registration is an offence.1

Which documents does CQC ask for?

Eleven from every provider, including the statement of purpose, the complaints, consent, safeguarding and recruitment policies, and a public and employer liability insurance quote or certificate.5

Does a private doctor in London need their own indemnity?

Yes. The GMC says any private or independent practice needs adequate and appropriate insurance or indemnity, even when it takes place on NHS premises.9

Does CQC approve clinic software?

No. CQC registers providers for regulated activities and locations, not software.1 wai keeps the records your team uses to show how care is delivered.

London regulators and guides

All regulators
  1. RegulatorThe CQC hub
  2. RegulatorHow to register a new service with CQC
  3. RegulatorStaff records and fit and proper persons
  4. RegulatorThe policies and documents CQC expects

London in depth

All insights
  1. InsightClinic AI in London
  2. InsightCQC registration for a private clinic
  3. InsightPractice software for a UK private clinic

Opening a specialty clinic in London

Every specialty
  1. Specialtywai for aesthetic clinics
  2. Specialtywai for private GP practices
  3. Specialtywai for dermatology clinics
  4. Specialtywai for longevity and preventive medicine clinics
  5. Specialtywai for home visit doctors

Opening a clinic elsewhere

Every city
  1. CityOpening a clinic in Dubai
  2. CityOpening a clinic in Abu Dhabi
  3. CityOpening a clinic in Riyadh
  4. CityOpening a clinic in Doha
  5. CityOpening a clinic in New York
  6. CityOpening a clinic in Los Angeles
  7. CityOpening a clinic in Miami
  8. CityOpening a clinic in Singapore
  9. CityOpening a clinic in Hong Kong
  10. CityOpening a clinic in Sydney
  11. CityOpening a clinic in Paris
  12. CityOpening a clinic in Edinburgh
  13. CityOpening a clinic in Sharjah
  14. CityOpening a clinic in Chicago
  15. CityOpening a clinic in Houston

Request a demo for your London clinic.

We show wai running a London clinic on your own diary, notes and inbox, in a 15 minute video call with our team. A clinic in England has its records hosted in the United Kingdom.

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team@wellnessa-i.com

Sources

  1. 1CQC, 2025What is registrationRead source
  2. 2CQC, 2026Scope of registrationRead source
  3. 3CQC, 2025DBS checks for CQC registrationRead source
  4. 4CQC, 2026Register as a providerRead source
  5. 5CQC, 2026Supporting documents, documents everyone must sendRead source
  6. 6CQC, 2026Assessing your applicationRead source
  7. 7CQC, 2025Outcome of your applicationRead source
  8. 8Information Commissioner's Office, 2026Data protection feeRead source
  9. 9General Medical Council, 2026Insurance, indemnity and medico-legal support for doctorsRead source
  10. 10CQC, 2025Regulation 19, Fit and proper persons employedRead source
  11. 11legislation.gov.uk, 2014The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, Schedule 3Read source
  12. 12CQC, 2025Regulation 5, Fit and proper persons, directorsRead source
  13. 13CQC, 2025Regulation 11, Need for consentRead source
  14. 14CQC, 2025Regulation 17, Good governanceRead source
  15. 15CQC, 2025Regulation 16, Receiving and acting on complaintsRead source
  16. 16Information Commissioner's Office, 2026What is special category dataRead source
  17. 17Information Commissioner's Office, 2026When do we need to do a DPIARead source
  18. 18Office for National Statistics, 2022Language, England and Wales, Census 2021Read source
  19. 19CQC, 2025How we reach a ratingRead source
  20. 20CQC, 2026NotificationsRead source
  21. 21CQC, 2025Regulation 20, Duty of candourRead source
  22. 22Harvard Business Review, 2011The Short Life of Online Sales LeadsRead source
  23. 23JAMA Network Open, 2025Clinician Experiences With Ambient Scribe Technology to Assist With Documentation Burden and EfficiencyRead source
  24. 24BMJ Open, 2016Using digital notifications to improve attendance in clinic, systematic review and meta-analysisRead source