Most UK Clinic Owners Have No Idea What a New Patient Costs Them

HMDG's 2026 Private Practice Barometer found that only a quarter of UK clinic owners know their cost-per-acquisition, and the ones who do earn considerably more than the ones who don't. This includes practices like yours, if you run a clinic and have ever guessed rather than calculated what a new client is worth.

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Clinic owners who track how much a new patient costs to acquire tend to run bigger businesses, and the ones who don't tend to shrug and carry on.

Original ResearchA UK-wide survey of clinic owners found most have never worked out their cost-per-acquisition, and those who have earn substantially more.
Sourcehttps://hmdg.co.uk/private-practice-barometer/
OverviewThe report benchmarks salary, pricing, retention and marketing habits across UK private MSK clinics, based on 715 owner responses.
Year2026
PublisherIndustry body, HMDG
Relevance to WellbeingSpeaks directly to clinical practices that run their own booking and marketing rather than working through a referral network.
Our VerdictToo early to tell the numbers are compelling but self-reported, and it's not clear whether tracking CPA makes clinics richer or richer clinics are simply more likely to track it.
Our Summary
  • A £127,500 revenue gap between trackers and non-trackers is not a small effect.
  • 715 respondents is a decent sample for a UK-specific clinic survey.
  • Revenue figures are self-reported, which tends to flatter the person doing the reporting.
  • Correlation, not proof. Owners disciplined enough to track CPA may simply run tighter businesses generally.
Our Geo ViewSpecific to UK private MSK clinics. Owners elsewhere should treat the figures as directional, not gospel.
Abstract of wellbeing niches and revenue flow
Recognise how this might impact your practice

Why this might matter to you

  • Coaching: this matters because if clinics see a six-figure gap from simply knowing a number, coaches spending on ads without tracking anything are flying just as blind.
  • Therapy: this matters because private therapy practices often have the same booking and referral costs as clinics, just without anyone writing them down.
  • Training: this matters because studios and trainers with membership churn could use the same logic to work out what a member is actually worth.
  • Alternative Healing: this matters because healers relying on word of mouth still have an acquisition cost, it's just their own unpaid time.
  • Clinical: this matters because it's their survey, their sample, and their £127,500 gap to close or ignore.
  • Retreat/Centre: this matters because centres with higher per-booking costs stand to gain the most from finally doing the sums.

Where this came from

HMDG asked UK clinic owners about pay, pricing, patient retention and marketing, and found most had never calculated what a new patient actually costs them.

UK Private Practice Barometer 2026, published by HMDG.

Credibility flags: survey-based, 715 respondents, methodology disclosed by publisher, financial figures self-reported by participants.

How we scored this

A relevance score out of 100, built from three things: how well it fits the six practice types, how recent it is, and how solid the methodology behind it is.

85%
Practice fit, 100How new, 100How solid, 50

Scored high on practice fit since this is clinic data about clinics, high on recency as a 2026 report, but marked down on how solid the method is, given the self-reported revenue figures and the publisher's own commercial interest in the topic.

Faces of satisfied clients
It's worth considering changes to your marketing practices

What this means for your marketing

  • Work out your own cost-per-acquisition before you spend another penny on ads.
  • Put the £127,500 figure in front of your clinic partners before they ask why marketing needs a proper budget.
  • Brief your front desk to record where every new patient actually came from, not just guess.
  • Say the number out loud in your next team meeting, before someone else's competitor does.
  • Review your last twelve months of marketing spend against new patient numbers, even roughly.

Who this is most useful for

Practice typeRelevanceRecommended action
Clinical PracticesHighRun a proper cost-per-acquisition audit this quarter.
Retreat/CentreMediumApply the same logic to per-booking or per-programme costs.
CoachingMediumStart tracking spend against new client numbers, even in a spreadsheet.
TherapyMediumCheck referral and directory fees against actual new client value.
TrainingLowApply the principle loosely to membership acquisition costs.
Alternative HealingLowNote the idea, revisit if paid marketing increases.

Best before

Best before: revisit when HMDG's Private Practice Barometer next updates, expected in 2027.

What next?

Most clinic owners could tell you exactly what their rent costs but not what a new patient costs, which is the sort of gap that quietly decides who grows and who doesn't.

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