NHS consultant fees management becomes difficult when payment information is split across spreadsheets, email attachments and an ageing Microsoft Access database. The Consultant Fees App gives authorised NHS teams one controlled place to manage consultant-fee information for private-patient work. It is designed for the point where “just one more spreadsheet” has become a process rather than a file.
Designed with the NHS, for the NHS
The Consultant Fees App was developed in partnership with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust to address a real operational requirement. It supports the management of payments to consultants who undertake private-patient work using Trust facilities.
The application is already in operational use at the Trust. It was not created as a generic accounting package, patient-management system or hospital billing platform. Its purpose is narrower: provide a central, multi-user system for the consultant-fee information, rules, reporting and history required by NHS private patient services.
The consultant-fee management challenge
Traditional processes often grow around separate spreadsheets and a Microsoft Access database. Different teams exchange files, make adjustments and consolidate the results for reporting. Every copy may be reasonable on its own. The trouble starts when several versions are all called final.
- Data is distributed across multiple files and exchanged between teams.
- Consolidation, adjustments and notification preparation require manual work.
- Version control becomes difficult when several authorised users need access.
- Reporting and reconciliation take longer because records must be brought together first.
- Management visibility depends on reports assembled from fragmented sources.
- Legacy Microsoft Access applications become harder to maintain as requirements and teams change.
Excel remains useful for individual calculations and controlled analysis. It is often the simplest tool for a one-person task. It becomes harder to govern when the process needs multiple users, shared business rules, central reporting and a reliable audit history. A Trust that only has one occasional calculation may not need an application. A Trust coordinating a repeatable process across several teams usually needs firmer control.
How the Consultant Fees App helps
The Consultant Fees App provides one platform for recording, processing and reporting consultant-fee information associated with private-patient activity. It supports private patient payment management without pretending that every Trust follows an identical process.
- Authorised users record or import the relevant information.
- Configured rules support fee calculations and processing.
- Finance and operational teams review the resulting information.
- Reports and dashboards provide central oversight.
- Users can generate notifications and agreed outputs.
- Changes and processing history remain available through the audit trail.
The exact data, calculation rules and outputs are agreed with the Trust during implementation. The application does not impose an invented approval chain or payment schedule. It reflects the confirmed local process.
Core capabilities for consultant fee management
Controlled multi-user access
- Role-based security
- Secure access for authorised users
- Multi-user browser interface
- Reduced spreadsheet movement between teams
Central processing
- Central management of consultant-fee data
- Configurable calculation and business rules
- Import and export capabilities agreed during implementation
- Reduced manual consolidation and adjustments
Reporting and communication
- Central reporting
- Management dashboards
- Generated email notifications
- Central oversight of payment information
Traceability and support
- Audit trail
- Version history for recorded changes
- Implementation and technical support from DB Software Laboratory
Traditional process compared with the Consultant Fees App
| Traditional approach | Consultant Fees App |
|---|---|
| Separate spreadsheets and Access databases | One shared application |
| Files exchanged between teams | Secure central access |
| Manual consolidation | Centralised processing and reporting |
| Difficult version control | Recorded changes and audit history |
| Manually prepared notifications | Generated notifications |
| Limited management visibility | Shared reports and dashboards |
| High administrative effort | A more controlled, streamlined process |
| Difficult multi-user access | Designed for multiple authorised users |
Who benefits from a central NHS consultant payment system
Private Patient Units
One place to manage consultant-fee information linked to private-patient work using Trust facilities.
Finance and Accounts Receivable
Clearer central records with reporting and reconciliation support.
Costing and Business Development
Configurable rules and better visibility of the information used in the process.
Operational management
Central dashboards, reports and oversight without assembling another management spreadsheet.
IT teams
An application that can operate within the Trust’s controlled environment and be supported by DB Software Laboratory.
Authorised administrators
Multi-user access without circulating numerous spreadsheet versions between authorised colleagues.
Deployment, privacy and control remain with the Trust
The Consultant Fees App can operate on-premises within the NHS Trust’s own environment. The Trust retains control over its information, infrastructure and access arrangements. Users work through a browser, while role-based access restricts functions and records according to the agreed user roles.
Routine use does not require specialist programming skills. The configurable design allows screens, business rules, reports and dashboards to reflect local requirements. DB Software Laboratory provides implementation and technical support, while the Trust controls who is authorised to use the application.
This deployment model suits organisations that want an alternative to moving operational information into an externally hosted service. Broader infrastructure, backup and security arrangements remain matters for the Trust’s normal technical review.
Already Used by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
The application was developed in partnership with Guy’s and St Thomas’ to address a real private-patient consultant-fee management requirement. It modernised a legacy Microsoft Access-based process and is already used operationally by the Trust.
That experience provides a practical starting point for other NHS organisations. It shows how consultant-fee data, configurable rules, reports, dashboards, generated notifications and processing history can be brought into one application. It does not mean every Trust must copy the same process. Experience from the implementation can guide the review, while local requirements still determine the final configuration.
The project is also a specific example of our wider work to replace legacy NHS applications. If the requirement concerns contract activity and income planning instead, see the separate NHS Income Planner.
Implementation and support focus on the existing process
Implementation starts with the Trust’s current data, rules, reports and operational process. The aim is to understand what must be preserved before configuring a replacement. A legacy database may look untidy, but it often contains years of working business knowledge. Database archaeology is still archaeology, even when the artefacts are forms and queries.
The configurable platform can reduce bespoke development where the required capability already exists. Typical implementation activities include:
- Review the existing process.
- Define the required data structure.
- Confirm calculation and processing rules.
- Import existing data where required and where a suitable route is agreed.
- Configure user roles.
- Configure reports and dashboards.
- Test the process with authorised users.
- Provide support during rollout.
No fixed implementation timescale should be assumed before that review. Data quality, rule complexity, required history and local infrastructure all affect the work. Our legacy application migration service explains the broader approach, while our NHS data transformation services cover related data preparation and migration requirements.