E#30 | Dr. Shaima Villait, What Doctors Learn After Becoming Clinic Owners | Business of a Clinic

In this episode of Business of a Clinic, Jared sits down with Shaima, a private GP with more than 20 years of experience in private general practice and co-founding director of Chelsea Medics.They explore how private GP practice has changed over the last two decades, from the increasing demand for private appointments to the rise of more informed patients using Google, ChatGPT and online health information before they ever enter the clinic room.Shaima shares how this has changed the role of the doctor. Patients now arrive with more questions, more expectations and often more anxiety. For clinicians, the job is no longer just to diagnose and treat. It is also to guide, clarify and help patients make sense of the information they already have.The conversation also covers the reality of running a private clinic: the business education doctors rarely receive, the operational shock of COVID, the sudden shift to virtual practice, the growing expectation of communication between appointments, and why recruitment is one of the most difficult parts of clinic ownership.This episode is a thoughtful look at the future of private GP medicine and why clinic leaders need to keep adapting as patient expectations, technology and healthcare delivery continue to change.In this episode, we cover: Why more patients are turning to private GP care  How NHS access challenges are changing patient behaviour  The impact of Google, ChatGPT and online health information  Why the doctor’s role is becoming more like a guide  What clinicians are not taught about running a business  The business lessons Shaima wishes she had learned earlier  How COVID forced private clinics to adapt overnight  Why communication between appointments now matters more  What makes recruitment so difficult in private practice  Why the future of private GP requires technology adoption