Start a telehealth company in Cardiff

Step by step

How to start a telehealth company in Cardiff

1. 1

   Separate the city pilot from the national ambition

   Write the first Cardiff offer in a sentence that staff can apply. Identify the clinical scope, patient group, service area, and circumstances that need another care route. Keep a separate document for later expansion plans so aspirations do not enter live eligibility rules accidentally.

   Use the ONS built-up-area figure consistently when discussing the city. If the business forecast concerns South Wales or all Wales, research that different population and the arrangements needed to serve it. A city count should not stand in for a national denominator. ONS: built-up areas, Census 2021

   Ask prospective patients which physical locations they could use for examination or testing. Do not assume that a Cardiff service is equally accessible to everyone reached by its advertisements. Verify the practical plan for the initial catchment.

   Design an enquiry route for people outside the first area. Explain the limit respectfully and provide appropriate general signposting. Do not accept a paid appointment that the team already knows it cannot deliver within the assessed service model.

2. 2

   Use HIW's enquiry process for the provider arrangement

   Describe whether the service operates from an establishment, remotely, or through a combination of arrangements. Include the doctors, other professionals, and organisations involved. HIW's guidance distinguishes independent clinics and qualifying remote medical agencies; the correct route depends on the facts. HIW: services needing registration

   Submit an accurate account of the business base and private clinical activities. Retain the written scope response with the submitted description. If the commercial team later changes that description, ask whether a new assessment is needed.

   Make incorporation and healthcare registration separate workstreams. Companies House registration creates the business entity, while HIW addresses the relevant service framework. Check that the entity named in patient terms matches the intended clinical provider. Companies House: set up a limited company

   Do not present CQC material as Cardiff-specific approval. It may be relevant to an additional English arrangement, but Wales has its own oversight. A cross-border model needs advice that deals with both the actual structure and the activities delivered, rather than simply displaying more regulator logos.

   Confirm the availability and integrations your Cardiff service would need.

   Discuss international requirements
3. 3

   Make the Welsh-language offer specific and sustainable

   Decide which parts of the care journey the company can deliver in Welsh. Include enquiry handling, the appointment, medicine questions, results, and complaints. A translated booking page is a narrower commitment than a full clinical service in the language.

   Use the Welsh Government's language plan as policy context and obtain advice about the duties relevant to the business. Avoid claiming either that no obligation can apply or that every private startup must offer an identical service. The applicable position depends on the provider and its arrangements. Welsh Government: More than just words plan 2022 to 2027

   Publish actual availability rather than an aspiration. Where a patient requests a particular communication arrangement, confirm how it will work and what cover exists if the original professional is unavailable.

   Have competent reviewers assess clinical translations and patient instructions. Test whether a person understands the next action, especially after a refusal or an unexpected result. An accurate word choice is not enough if the complete message leaves the recipient unclear about urgency or responsibility.

4. 4

   Keep private care distinct from the patient's existing NHS care

   Explain who delivers the private consultation and which services it includes. Do not imply that the company is part of an NHS organisation or can arrange NHS access on preferential terms without a genuine basis for that claim.

   Ask which existing clinicians hold information needed for the assessment. GMC remote guidance addresses continuity and the need to consider appropriate sharing. Explain why relevant records or communication may matter, and document a patient's refusal and the clinical consequence. GMC: remote consultations

   If the private service recommends an action from another provider, distinguish a recommendation from an accepted referral. State what the company has arranged and what the patient needs to do. Do not promise the decision, timetable, or capacity of an organisation that has not agreed to it.

   Record the outcome of the consultation in a form another professional can understand. Include the clinical question, important findings, decisions, and outstanding work. Clear communication helps reduce conflicting advice without implying that one short visit replaces the patient's broader care relationship.

5. 5

   Set prescribing rules before offering treatment categories

   For each proposed medicine-related pathway, ask what history, observations, dialogue, and follow-up the doctor needs. GMC prescribing guidance requires adequate information and a safe decision. Build the product around those requirements instead of adding checks after the commercial category is already live. GMC: deciding whether it is safe to prescribe

   Make a request for more information an ordinary supported outcome. The patient should understand what is missing and who will review the response. Do not describe a clinically necessary pause as a website error or an unexpected failure.

   Choose a pharmacy partner that can question the prescription and communicate the reason. GPhC distance-service guidance is relevant to registered pharmacy practice in Wales. Agree the information exchanged and the route for professional cover outside the original doctor's hours. GPhC: pharmacy services at a distance, February 2025

   Review messages for every outcome. A declined prescription, a pharmacy hold, and a stock delay need different explanations. Keep the clinical record and order status consistent so a patient does not receive a supply promise after the professional decision has changed.

6. 6

   Use Welsh onward-care routes and current patient location

   Create a referral map for the Cardiff pilot that reflects actual partner arrangements. Record the accepted services, appointment process, report route, and separate charges. A familiar hospital or clinic name should not appear as a partner without agreement.

   Use NHS 111 Wales as an official reference for urgent-care information. Have the clinical team define how those routes connect with the company's own emergency and out-of-hours policy. Patient instructions should be Wales-specific rather than a copied English help page. NHS 111 Wales

   Check the patient's current physical location during the encounter. A Cardiff account may be used from another part of Wales, England, or abroad. The next clinical action should reflect the current circumstances and the assessed scope of the service.

   Rehearse a person who cannot attend the proposed physical appointment. The doctor should decide whether delay is acceptable or another route is needed. Keep that decision visible to staff so a routine scheduling response does not replace the clinical plan.

7. 7

   Control the data shared across language and care partners

   List every organisation that receives patient information. Include the interpreting or translation provider, clinical contractors, laboratories, pharmacies, and support suppliers. Identify the purpose of each transfer and avoid sending a full history when a limited instruction is sufficient.

   The ICO requires an appropriate Article 6 basis and Article 9 condition for health-data processing. Document the reasoning for the real purposes and recipients. A patient choosing Welsh communication does not automatically authorize unrelated use of language preference or medical information. ICO: special category data rules

   Check access permissions for staff who support both clinical and commercial work. An employee may need appointment details without needing the consultation narrative. Ensure that a change of role removes access that is no longer justified.

   Prepare a usable patient-access process in the service's supported communication arrangements. Test exports and corrections across suppliers. The patient should receive an intelligible account of their information, while the provider retains the record and audit history necessary for its lawful clinical responsibilities.

8. 8

   Review the public offer against a complete rehearsal

   Read the Cardiff landing page, advertisements, booking terms, and follow-up messages as one offer. Confirm that the language, geography, price, and clinical promises agree. A small disclaimer should not contradict the headline a reasonable patient relies on.

   Use MHRA guidance for medicines-related promotion. Review Welsh and English versions together, including partner campaigns. Translation must not introduce a stronger claim about prescribing, speed, or clinical outcomes than the reviewed source copy. MHRA: advertise your medicines

   Before accepting patients, run an out-of-area enquiry, a requested Welsh consultation, an information-sharing refusal, a delayed pharmacy response, and an urgent message. Record which staff member acts and what the patient sees.

   Limit the opening schedule to the support capacity demonstrated. Review unfinished care, communication problems, and complaints during the pilot. Expand beyond Cardiff only after the next service area and language commitments are ready, with any necessary reassessment of the regulatory model.

Cardiff telehealth FAQ