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You want your own clinic. Nobody tells you where to start.

You have spent years becoming excellent at medicine. None of that training covered regulated activities, statements of purpose or fit and proper persons — and now there is a regulator between you and seeing your first patient. Here is what actually has to happen, and the part we can take off you entirely.

Written by founders Claire Barker & Aaron Scott — who have registered and run their own CQC-regulated clinics
Kept up to date as CQC guidance changes, with a plain-English note on what changed
If a file is faulty or not as described, we'll fix it or refund it
In short
Registration is a document exercise before it is anything else. CQC names 25 supporting documents for an independent clinic and rejects applications that arrive without them. We write and tailor the ones that can be written — £2,400.00, back with you in 5 working days — and tell you plainly which ones only you or your accountant can provide.

What nobody warns you about

It is mostly paperwork, and it is judged as paperwork
Most first-time applications are delayed not because the care planned is unsafe, but because a document was missing, generic, or contradicted another one.
You cannot open on a date of your choosing
You must be registered before you carry on a regulated activity. Signing a lease and booking patients around an assumed date is how people lose money.
The long-lead items are not the obvious ones
DBS checks and a financial viability statement from an accountant both take weeks. Start them before you write a single policy.
Generic templates are visible from orbit
A policy that still says [Insert Name], or describes a service you do not run, tells an assessor exactly how much thought went into it.

What actually has to happen

1
Decide your regulated activities
The precise activities you apply for shape everything else. Applying for the wrong one, or missing one, is a common and costly error.
2
Appoint your people
A registered manager and a nominated individual, with CQC-countersigned DBS checks. Start these first — they take the longest.
3
Get your premises ready
CQC expects the location to exist and be fit for purpose, not planned. You will need a floor plan, occupancy evidence and safety certificates.
4
Complete your statement of purpose
Use CQC’s own template, which is free from CQC. CQC reads it first and checks every other document against it, and inconsistency here is the single most common query on an application.
5
Assemble your supporting documents
CQC names 25 of them and rejects applications that arrive without them. This is the part we do for you.
6
Apply, then be assessed
Submit online with the fee. CQC assesses, and usually interviews your registered manager. Agree assessment dates within 28 days of being contacted.

Step 5 is the one that stalls people, and it is the one we can do entirely. See CQC's full list of required documents before you decide.

The documents, done for you — £2,400.00

What you get
  • Every policy, procedure and risk assessment your clinic needs — over 100 documents
  • Written to one controlled house style, with legislation and review dates throughout
  • Your organisation, addresses and registration numbers written into every document
  • Role titles set to your structure, so nothing needs reissuing when staff change
  • Your local escalation contacts and out-of-hours arrangements inserted
  • Your policy decisions — review cycles, response times, thresholds — set to your answers
  • A completion report listing anything only you can decide
  • Back with you within 5 working days of your questionnaire
What this is not
  • We do not submit your application to CQC — you do, and you keep control of it
  • We are not your registered manager or nominated individual
  • Your financial viability statement must come from an independent accountant, bank or financial services firm — CQC will not accept it from you
  • Your insurance certificate, floor plan, occupancy evidence, safety certificates and any planning permission come from you
  • CQC charges its own registration fee, separately
  • No guarantee of a registration outcome — that depends on your service, premises and people
Why we are this blunt about it
Because the alternative is you discovering it three weeks in. Every one of those exclusions is a real CQC requirement that a document supplier genuinely cannot meet for you, and we would rather you knew now.

Choose the kind of clinic you are opening. The price is the same either way — what changes is which documents you get and which questions we ask you.

Private Healthcare Clinic

Consultant-led clinic — radiology, orthopaedics, gynaecology, minor surgery, diagnostics

118 documents, written for you · then tailored to your clinic
See what CQC asks a private healthcare clinic for
ADHD Clinic

ADHD assessment, diagnosis and titration, in person or remote

117 documents, written for you · then tailored to your clinic
See what CQC asks a adhd clinic for
Weight Loss Clinic

Weight management and GLP-1 prescribing

112 documents, written for you · then tailored to your clinic
See what CQC asks a weight loss clinic for
Dermatology & Skin Surgery

Dermatology and skin surgery — lesion assessment, excision, histology and skin cancer referral

112 documents, written for you · then tailored to your clinic
See what CQC asks a dermatology & skin surgery for
Podiatry & Chiropody

Podiatry or chiropody — nail surgery, diabetic foot care, wound management and orthotics

112 documents, written for you · then tailored to your clinic
See what CQC asks a podiatry & chiropody for
Telehealth & Online Clinic

Remote or online consultations and prescribing

108 documents, written for you · then tailored to your clinic
See what CQC asks a telehealth & online clinic for
Pharmacy Prescribing Service

Pharmacy adding a prescribing clinic — the clinical service, not the dispensing

108 documents, written for you · then tailored to your clinic
See what CQC asks a pharmacy prescribing service for
Aesthetic Clinic

Aesthetic and cosmetic medicine

131 documents, written for you · then tailored to your clinic
See what CQC asks a aesthetic clinic for
GP Surgery

Private GP practice or medical centre

118 documents, written for you · then tailored to your clinic
See what CQC asks a gp surgery for

Not sure which fits? It is usually Private Healthcare Clinic for a consultant-led service. If you are still unsure, book the free consultation below and we will tell you — there is no charge and no obligation.

Not ready to spend anything yet?

Free mock inspection

Score yourself against CQC's five key questions and see where you actually stand.

Start it free →
Free application checklist

All 25 documents CQC asks for, and who provides each one.

See the checklist →
Just the application documents

If you would rather complete them yourself, the CQC Application Pack is £499.00.

Browse the packs →

Or talk it through first — free, 30 minutes, no obligation

If you are at the stage of wondering whether this is even feasible, that is exactly the conversation to have before you spend money. We have registered and run our own CQC-regulated clinics, and we will tell you honestly if what you are planning needs something we do not sell.

No obligation, no sales pressure. We’ll email you to arrange a time — and only use your details to organise and follow up on your consultation.

Questions doctors ask us

I have never done this before. Where do I actually start?

Three things, in this order. Decide precisely which regulated activities you will carry on, because everything else follows from that. Decide who your registered manager and nominated individual will be, and apply for their CQC-countersigned DBS checks straight away, because those have the longest lead time. Then complete your statement of purpose on CQC’s own template, which is free from CQC, because CQC reads it first and checks every other document against it.

How long does registration take?

Plan for months, not weeks. Preparation alone usually takes several weeks, and CQC may return an application or refuse registration if you cannot agree a date for assessment activities within 28 days of being contacted. The part of the timetable you actually control is having every supporting document ready before you submit — which is the part most first-time applicants underestimate.

Can I see patients before I am registered?

No. If your service involves a regulated activity you must be registered before you begin. Carrying on a regulated activity without registration is a criminal offence. Do not plan an opening date you cannot move.

What exactly do I get for £2,400.00?

Every document your type of clinic needs — over 100 policies, procedures and risk assessments — written to a single controlled house style, plus our tailoring service. You answer one questionnaire about your clinic and we write your organisation, your role titles, your local contacts and your policy decisions into every document, then return the finished set within 5 working days. You get documents that are ready to read, approve and submit, rather than templates with brackets in them.

What is NOT included?

We do not submit your application to CQC, and we are not your registered manager. Some things can only come from you or your professional advisers: a financial viability statement (which CQC requires from an independent accountant, bank or financial services firm and will not accept from you), your insurance certificate, floor plans, evidence of legal occupancy, gas and electrical safety certificates and any planning permission. CQC also charges its own registration fee, which is separate. We list every one of these openly on the application checklist so nothing surprises you.

Do you guarantee I will be registered?

No, and be careful of anyone who does. Registration depends on your service, your premises, your people and CQC's own assessment. What we guarantee is that the documents are professionally written, consistent with each other and with your statement of purpose, and complete against CQC's published supporting-documents list.

I am not sure which type of clinic I am.

For a consultant-led independent service it is almost always the Private Healthcare Clinic set. If you are unsure, book the free 30-minute consultation and we will tell you before you spend anything.

What happens after I am registered?

Registration is the start, not the end. You then have to run the audits, keep policies in date and evidence it all at inspection. Our optional Compliance Updates subscription keeps every document current as guidance and the law change, and we can talk through what an ongoing compliance routine should look like for your clinic.

Your clinic's documents, written and tailored — £2,400.00

140+ policies, 110+ procedures and 50+ risk assessments across the library, narrowed to your clinic and completed with your details. Back with you in 5 working days.

Choose your clinic type →Book a free consultation

Useful before you start

The CQC application checklist →Every document CQC asks for, and where each comes from.
Do I need to register? →Who must register, who is exempt.
Statement of Purpose →The document CQC reads first.
Registered Manager & Nominated Individual →What each role is, and who can hold it.
Fit & Proper Persons →The checks directors have to pass.
Free CQC mock inspection →Score your readiness in minutes.
Important: This page is general information to help you understand CQC requirements — it is not legal advice and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Care Quality Commission. Regulations and CQC's assessment approach change over time; always check the current position on cqc.org.uk and have a qualified professional review anything specific to your organisation.