Confidence To Thrive - a podcast for ambitious healthcare practitioners and entrepreneurs

Christopher Cloke Browne
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Confidence to Thrive is a podcast built for practitioners and healthcare entrepreneurs who are doing something that matters - building innovative practices in functional medicine, aesthetics, integrative healthcare and mental health, while navigating the regulatory complexity that comes with it. 

  1. 4d ago

    Episode 29 - Cross-border prescribing - legal, regulatory and insurance challenges of teleconsultations

    Cross-border prescribing - challenges and risks of prescribing through telemedicine In this episode of Confidence to Thrive, Christopher Cloke Browne, director at Owlicity about the legal, regulatory, and insurance challenges of cross-border prescribing for GMC-registered doctors, especially in functional medicine where teleconsultations are common and patients are often international or mobile.  The discussion focuses on how some jurisdictions treat telemedicine as occurring where the patient is located (with Italy and the UAE cited as explicit examples), potentially requiring local registration and compliance with local medication rules and dosing standards.  Christopher distinguishs between diagnosing and treating, writing a prescription, and prescription fulfillment, noting that a UK consultation and prescription may be filled abroad, but follow-up teleconsultations while the patient is abroad can trigger local licensing issues.  It is important to verify patient location, check insurer coverage (as some exclude foreign telemedicine), and that unlicensed activity may invalidate insurance, while regulators may report concerns to the GMC. Episode time stamps 00:50 - Why understanding cross-border prescribing matters02:16 - Where 'care' legally occurs 04:20 - Rules on using telemedicine and teleconsultations05:47 - What signals risk?08:33 - The distinction between prescribing vs dispensing08:52 - UK prescriptions used overseas11:41 - The status of a follow up while a patient is abroad 14:10 - Practical compliance steps16:05 - Registration strategy18:09 - Potential legal and insurance falloutWho are Owlicity? This podcast was brought to you by Owlicity Insurance Advisors who support your business ambitions.  Owlicity advises practitioners, owners, and entrepreneurs of healthcare practises on mitigating risks so your business can thrive.  Learn more about how Owlicity can support here: Owlicity.co.uk  Call us on 0203 988 8090 Follow us on social media LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    Episode 29 - Cross-border prescribing - legal, regulatory and insurance challenges of teleconsultations

  2. Oct 7

    Episode 28 - CCR 2026 - Insight from the floor of the Clinical Cosmetic Regenerative Congress at Excel

    Inside CCR 2026 Christopher Cloke Browne, director at Owlicity, walks through the Clinical Cosmetic Regenerative Congress or CCR 2026 aesthetics conference at London’s ExCeL, highlighting the expanded Medical Longevity Summit with two stages and more educational, medically focused content than other shows.  He notes major device and laser manufacturers and the growing importance and cost of laser investment, alongside supporting services like software and finance.  In the longevity area, he highlights the prominence of functional wellness and nutrition (including BANT), and the concept of biological age testing to guide lifestyle and supplement interventions.  The discussion covers how practices are evolving from basic injectables to newer options like exosomes, the need to curate choices for clients, and rising private equity interest.  The discussion also turns to regulation and certified training via JCCP as well as medic vs non-medic tensions. Episode time stamps 00:00 Welcome to CCR 00:38 Main hall highlights01:17 The expansion of the Medical Longevity area03:16 The value of biological age04:35 Talks and the shift in the industry07:51 A greater focus on menopause09:01 New introductions to the show09:34 The cost of business11:57 Training and market players14:08 Regulation and safety15:30 Map My Mole innovation17:02 Medics vs non medics20:06 Global trends in beautyWho are Owlicity? This podcast was brought to you by Owlicity Insurance Advisors who support your business ambitions.  Owlicity advises practitioners, owners, and entrepreneurs of healthcare practises on mitigating risks so your business can thrive.  Learn more about how Owlicity can support here: Owlicity.co.uk  Call us on 0203 988 8090 Follow us on social media LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    Episode 28 - CCR 2026 - Insight from the floor of the Clinical Cosmetic Regenerative Congress at Excel

  3. Sep 30

    Episode 27 - Why taking great notes is your most effective defence against claims and complaints - best practice for clinical note-taking

    Defensible Note-Taking for Functional Medicine and Private Practice: Reducing Litigation Risk In this episode of Confidence To Thrive, Owlicity directors Christopher Cloke Browne and Roger Houston discuss best-practice note-taking for functional medicine and private healthcare, focusing on defensibility against negligence claims.  They explain how poor notes increase litigation risk, especially when clinicians rely on hearsay and emphasise documenting key clinical decision-making, options discussed, and quantifying risks rather than being overly discursive.  They discuss drivers of poor note-taking to be factors including time pressure, focus on patient attention, “doctor knows best” benevolence, and commercial pressures in private practice, including inappropriate deference to patient requests.  The hosts recommend peer review in larger practices, using brief repeat-entry notes to evidence ongoing communication patterns, and leveraging technology such as secure audio recordings and AI-assisted documentation, while cautioning about accuracy, GDPR, and cybersecurity. Episode time stamps 00:45 How great note-taking kills claims in their tracks04:06 Why most practitioners skip notes07:37 The private vs NHS gap11:33 What to include in your notes to make them defensible15:56 Team standards and the value of peer review17:28 Identifying patterns and high risk patients24:07 Using AI for note-takingWho are Owlicity? This podcast was brought to you by Owlicity Insurance Advisors who support your business ambitions.  Owlicity advises practitioners, owners, and entrepreneurs of healthcare practises on mitigating risks so your business can thrive.  Learn more about how Owlicity can support here: Owlicity.co.uk  Call us on 0203 988 8090 Follow us on social media LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

  4. Sep 23

    Episode 26 - Building a multi-disciplinary functional medicine practice with Dr Indra, Dr Indra Functional Medicine

    In this week’s episode of Confidence to Thrive, Christopher Cloke-Browne, director at Owlicity, speaks to Dr. Indra, NHS GP turned private functional medicine practitioner and president of the British College of Functional Medicine about her journey building a functional medicine clinic.  Dr. Indra describes becoming dissatisfied with NHS limitations, burnout, and discovering the Institute of Functional Medicine, leading her to build a patient-first practice under her own name.  They discuss the heavy regulatory and operational burden of launching a regulated clinic, the time-intensive nature of functional medicine consultations and evidence-informed decision-making, and challenges around patient expectations, practitioner training, safety, and insurance.  Dr. Indra explains developing a collaborative multidisciplinary team - nutrition therapy, coaching, pharmacy, psychotherapy, and consultants - organised around integrative health specialists who support patients throughout their journey. They also discuss the major opportunity in collating outcomes data, offering patient choice alongside conventional medicine, and addressing rising chronic disease with a health-span focus. Episode time stamps 00:57 Dr Indra’s journey03:31 Discovering functional medicine06:42 Evidence and patient outcomes09:02 Launching a regulated functional medicine clinic12:37 The functional medicine patient process15:04 Challenges facing functional medicine18:24 Building an integrative team25:41 Coaching and patient ownership31:43 The opportunities ahead Who are Owlicity? This podcast was brought to you by Owlicity Insurance Advisors who support your business ambitions.  Owlicity advises practitioners, owners, and entrepreneurs of healthcare practises on mitigating risks so your business can thrive.  Learn more about how Owlicity can support here: Owlicity.co.uk  Call us on 0203 988 8090 Follow us on social media LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    Episode 26 - Building a multi-disciplinary functional medicine practice with Dr Indra, Dr Indra Functional Medicine

  5. Sep 16

    Episode 25 - The 'Prescribing Risk' in functional medicine - how to overcome regulatory and negligence risks around prescribing and diagnosis

    Functional Medicine and Prescribing: Regulation, Roles and Risk in Multidisciplinary Practices In this episode of Confidence to Thrive, Owlicity directors Christopher Cloke Browne and Roger Houston discuss how functional medicine practices can fall into regulatory and negligence risk around “prescribing” and diagnosis.  As supplements become increasingly specialised in the area of functional medicine, they may still be regulated as food supplements, but a doctor’s recommendation can be treated by the GMC as a prescription and judged against medical standards even without a written script.  The discussion also covers risks when non-clinicians - particularly nutritionists - interpret results or suggest conditions like diabetes outside a clinical hierarchy, and the accountability of doctor-led practices for team actions.  They highlight patient expectations, commercial pressures, and the need for robust policies, procedures, documentation, and roles such as health coaches/patient advocates to guide patients and support compliance and defensibility. Episode time stamps 00:43 Prescribing challenges 02:47 Supplements become prescriptions 05:58 The shift in team roles and diagnosis 08:35 Complaints and commercial reality 10:15 Introducing the patient advocate model 14:02 Regulations vs practice 16:50 The value of audits and procedures 20:02 Scaling a compliant business Who are Owlicity? This podcast was brought to you by Owlicity Insurance Advisors who support your business ambitions.  Owlicity advises practitioners, owners, and entrepreneurs of healthcare practises on mitigating risks so your business can thrive.  Learn more about how Owlicity can support here: Owlicity.co.uk  Call us on 0203 988 8090 Follow us on social media LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    Episode 25 - The 'Prescribing Risk' in functional medicine - how to overcome regulatory and negligence risks around prescribing and diagnosis

  6. Sep 9

    Episode 24 - AI in private healthcare - balancing automation with empathy with Adrian Richards, medical director iQonic

    In the fourth part of this four part series, Adrian Richards, medical director at iQonic Aesthetics returns to the Confidence to Thrive podcast to discuss with Owlicity directors, Christopher Cloke Browne and Roger Houston, how AI is already reshaping healthcare businesses and why practitioners must adopt it or risk falling behind.  He describes examples of “lights off” businesses run by bots and teams augmented with AI to increase output, while arguing that healthcare still needs humans for empathy and patient-facing work. At Iconic, AI is used for tasks like visual simulations and recording and analysing meetings to extract priorities, themes and team insights, alongside automating functions such as marketing, website and HR.  The group also highlights risks: AI can hallucinate, lacks conscience and grounding, and must be used carefully with strong “defence.” They connect this to changing work patterns and ADHD, concluding AI should handle repetitive tasks while humans focus on human work. Episode time stamps 00:00 AI in Healthcare Intro 03:03 Lights Off Bot Workforce 04:38 Humans vs Automation 05:54 How Iconic Uses AI 07:12 Call Centre Bots Replace Teams 11:02 Work Culture and Human Value 12:20 ADHD and Modern Work 13:48 AI Hallucinations and Trust 14:42 AI Needs Defense 14:47 Hallucinations and Trust 15:21 Deploying AI Responsibly 16:02 Grounding and Learning 17:19 ADHD and Human Strengths 18:01 Spotify Story Lesson 20:28 AI Plus Humans at Work 21:31 Insurance Partnership Advice Who are Owlicity? This podcast was brought to you by Owlicity Insurance Advisors who support your business ambitions.  Owlicity advises practitioners, owners, and entrepreneurs of healthcare practises on mitigating risks so your business can thrive.  Learn more about how Owlicity can support here: Owlicity.co.uk  Call us on 0203 988 8090 Follow us on social media LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

  7. Sep 2

    Episode 23 - Product liability and managing legacy risks in private healthcare with Adrian Richards, Medical Director at iQonic Aesthetics

    Episode 23 - Product liability and managing legacy risks in private healthcare with Adrian Richards, Medical Director at iQonic Aesthetics In this episode of Confidence to Thrive, Christopher Cloke Browne and Roger Houston, directors at Owlicity, talk to Adrian Richards, medical director at iQonic Aesthetics about the blurred line between product liability and surgeon responsibility when medical devices and implants fail, noting that patients typically hold the surgeon accountable regardless of where fault lies.    They explore examples including hip replacements with manufacturing faults and surgeons mixing components, and a breast implant case involving textured implants later linked to the rare lymphoma ALCL, with current UK guidance favouring monitoring and treatment typically being implant removal.    Their discussion covers reporting requirements, manufacturer compensation schemes that patients may struggle to navigate, and the practical need for surgeons to help patients through processes to reduce anxiety, protect reputation, and avoid escalation amplified by social media. This is the part 3 of a multi-part series with Adrian Richards. We recommend listening to Parts 1 and 2 - Episodes 21 and 22 - before listening to this episode. Episode time stamps 00:35 The product liability grey zone 01:41 Hip implant legal action03:44 Textured implants and ALCL05:16 Compensation and patient support07:20 Legacy risks for healthcare practitioners08:13 Handling social media reputation fallout09:46 The importance of a response plan10:30 Why rapid team decision-making is key10:56 The value of expert advice12:01 Why it’s a surgeon’s responsibility first12:49 The reality of the NHS safety net13:36 Tracking implants and data14:06 Helping patients navigate the claims process14:39 Risk management and the value of good note-taking15:30 The moral duty to patients16:48 Reputation and making amends17:46 What insurance really doesWho are Owlicity? This podcast was brought to you by Owlicity Insurance Advisors who support your business ambitions.  Owlicity advises practitioners, owners, and entrepreneurs of healthcare practises on mitigating risks so your business can thrive.  Learn more about how Owlicity can support here: Owlicity.co.uk  Call us on 0203 988 8090 Follow us on social media LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

  8. Aug 26

    Episode 22 - How to sell your healthcare business with Adrian Richards, medical director at iQonic Aesthetics

    Selling a Healthcare Business: Due Diligence, EBITDA Multiples and Managing Legacy Risk In part 2 of our wide-ranging discussion with Adrian Richards, Medical Director at iQonic Aesthetics and one of the pioneers of private medical practice, we discuss how to sell a healthcare practice or business.  Adrian has both sold and bought multiple healthcare businesses and draws on his experience selling Aurora Surgical Business Group Practice to The Private Clinic in 2016 and later helping acquire other clinics.  He describes sales as stressful, negotiation-heavy processes where deals can fail at due diligence, with buyers scrutinising finances, records and every risk “under the floorboards.”  The conversation highlights how private equity researches sectors deeply, prices uncertainty as risk, and uses that to discount EBITDA multiples.  Adrian and the hosts stress building a strong, compliant business with robust systems that can operate beyond the founder, and keeping “data room ready” documentation, including logs and reporting of clinical issues, complaints and potential liabilities.  They emphasise consent, complaint-handling, insurability limits, privacy/security exposures, and managing legacy risks that can reduce value by millions. Episode timestamps 01:21 Lessons from selling Aurora 01:58 The reality of due diligence02:39 Understanding how Private Equity thinks03:41 Why you need to build value and reduce risk 05:11 The importance of reporting and risk logs07:14 Pricing the risks07:46 EBITDA multiples explained09:32 Make a healthcare business sellable without you10:15 Life after the exit10:40 Acquisitions in the UK sector11:15 The entrepreneur mindset and insurance12:44 Due diligence deal killers13:15 Handling complaints in the right way14:01 Legacy liability planning14:49 Data room ready systems15:15 How underwriters price risk17:37 Exit strategy advice19:16 Process notes defensibility20:31 The benefit of keeping claims low Follow Adrian and iQonic Aesthetics iQonic profile - https://www.iqonicaesthetics.com/doctors/mr-adrian-richards LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-richards-50638411 Real Self - https://www.realself.com/dr/adrian-richards-london-united-kingdom iQonic website - https://www.iqonicaesthetics.com Who are Owlicity? This podcast was brought to you by Owlicity Insurance Advisors who support your business ambitions.  Owlicity advises practitioners, owners, and entrepreneurs of healthcare practises on mitigating risks so your business can thrive.  Learn more about how Owlicity can support here: Owlicity.co.uk  Call us on 0203 988 8090 Follow us on social media LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    Episode 22 - How to sell your healthcare business with Adrian Richards, medical director at iQonic Aesthetics
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Confidence to Thrive is a podcast built for practitioners and healthcare entrepreneurs who are doing something that matters - building innovative practices in functional medicine, aesthetics, integrative healthcare and mental health, while navigating the regulatory complexity that comes with it. 

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