Doctor runs healthy business
1/7/07 South East Business News - click to enlarge
Dr Harry Brunjes ad-
mits that most doc-
tors don’t make good
businessmen. “They do
not understand busi-
ness models other than
charging fees,” said Dr
Brunjes, the chairman
of Premier medical,
which provides medical
resources to big compa-
nies, institutions and
national associations.
Doctor runs
healthy business
Dr Harry Brunjes took the “big risk” of starting Premier Medical
“Some doctors have an aptitude for busi-
ness, and some do not. After all, doctors
are trained to be clinicians.” How did he
become good at business? “I did it by ex-
perience. As the business got bigger, my
ability grew.”
Premier, which
started life in 1995,
now has clients in-
time. The resources they provide include
writing reports for litigation when someone
is injured in a road accident: Premier does
50.000 of these a year. Many of the doctors
will see company staff who have been off
sick for a while, and
they also do early re-
tirement life insur-
ance rnedicals. Unlike
For the last 12 months, Dr Brunjes has
been in discussions with two other large
organisations to do a joint venture which
would fund and build primary care cen-
tres all round the country. “Boots and
Virgin are trying to do this
as well.” said Dr Brunjes.
“This kind of project has
been part of a campaign
cluding RBS, the Co
Op, the RAC, Saga and
Legal and General.
With an annual turn-
over of L20 million,
Premier Medical’s
150 hack office staff
work from Ludlow in
Shropshire. and most
ii
Some doctors have
an aptitude for
business, and some
do not
91
BIJPA. Premier does
not provide medical
insurance – although,
until last year, Dr
Brunjes did four
years as chairman of
BUPA’s personal in-
jury strategy forum.
Dr Brunjes lives at
AGE:
50
DRIVES:
Jaguar
LIVES:
Ovingdean Grange
by the health secretary. Pa-
tricia Hewitt.”
Apart from the joint ven-
ture, Premier medical is in
the process of acquiri ng one
of its competitors and has
just taken on three senior
managers from B[JPA to
take the business on to
weeks 400 doctors are employed in some
capacity, either full
time or part
Ovingdean Grange near
Brighton and runs the busi-
ness from his house with
three staff. He used to be
the senior partner at Rot-
tingdean health centre and
retired from there in 1995
to run Premier medical.
Before that. he trained at
Guys Hospital between
1974 and 1980 and for the
next five years, worked as
a junior doctor, mainly at
the Royal Sussex County
Hospital. In 1985, he joined
the Rottingdean practice
and became senior partner
in 1990. Between then and
1995, he had already
seen the op-
portunity and
had started
what would
be Premier
between Brighton
and Rottingdean
village
STATUS:
Married with four
children
FAVOURITE
MEAL:
Lamb shank
FAVOURITE
BOOK:
“Hound of the
Baskervilles” by
Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle
the next stage. “I want to
double the turnover in the
next three years,” said Dr
Brunjes. “Organic growth
is important. but this will
be done by acquisition.”
As well as running Pre-
mier Medical, Dr Brunjes
still plays the piano every
clay: he also learned the
clarinet and guitar. but
prefers the piano, particu-
larly jazz. Thirty Years
ago, lie was playing piano
at summer shows and pan-
tomimes and, at the age
of 20, was good enough to
have an agent and an audi-
tion for the 1970s television
show “Rock Follies” where he took the part of a punk
piano player.
He is also an alter dinner
speaker and his contacts
Medical in a small way. But
combining the two meant
lie was working “massive
hours” six days a week
whilst he wife, Jackie,
looked after four chil-
dren. So he took the
“big risk” of starting
Premier Medical.
book has the numbers of Lord Cecil Par-
kinson. Sir Ti m Rice. Sir Christopher Meyer.
Lord David Owen and Sir Donald Sinden
- all of whom he has persuaded to speak at
monthly events he is holding as president
of the Sussex Medico Chirurgical Society.
Both Sir Tim and Sir Christopher are old
boys of Lancing College, where all four of
Dr Brunjes’ children went to school.
Doctor runs healthy business
Dr Harry Brunjes took the “big risk” of starting Premier Medical
Dr Harry Brunjes admits that most doctors don’t make good businessmen. “They do not understand business models other than charging fees,” said Dr Brunjes, the chairman of Premier medical, which provides medical resources to big companies, institutions and national associations.
“Some doctors have an aptitude for business, and some do not. After all, doctors are trained to be clinicians.” How did he become good at business? “I did it by experience. As the business got bigger, my ability grew.”
Premier, which started life in 1995, now has clients including RBS, the Co-Op, the RAC, Saga and Legal and General. With an annual turn over of £20 million, Premier Medical’s 150 back office staff work from Ludlow in Shropshire and most weeks 400 doctors are employed in some capacity, either full time or part time.
The resources they provide include writing reports for litigation when someone is injured in a road accident: Premier does 50.000 of these a year. Many of the doctors will see company staff who have been off sick for a while, and they also do early retirement life insur ance rnedicals. Unlike BUPA, Premier does not provide medical insurance – although, until last year, Dr Brunjes did four years as chairman of BUPA’s personal injury strategy forum.
Dr Brunjes lives at Ovingdean Grange near Brighton and runs the business from his house with three staff. He used to be the senior partner at Rottingdean health centre and retired from there in 1995 to run Premier medical.
Before that. he trained at Guys Hospital between 1974 and 1980 and for the next five years, worked as a junior doctor, mainly at the Royal Sussex County Hospital. In 1985, he joined the Rottingdean practice and became senior partner in 1990. Between then and 1995, he had already seen the opportunity and had started what would be Premier medical in a small way. But combining the two meant he was working “massive hours” six days a week whilst he wife, Jackie, looked after four children. So he took the ”big risk” of starting Premier Medical.
For the last 12 months, Dr Brunjes has been in discussions with two other large organisations to do a joint venture which would fund and build primary care centres all round the country. “Boots and Virgin are trying to do this as well.” said Dr Brunjes.
“This kind of project has been part of a campaign by the health secretary. Patricia Hewitt.”
Apart from the joint venture, Premier medical is in the process of acquiring one of its competitors and has just taken on three senior managers from BUPA to take the business on to the next stage. “I want to double the turnover in the next three years,” said Dr Brunjes. “Organic growth is important but this will be done by acquisition.”
As well as running Premier Medical, Dr Brunjes still plays the piano everyday: he also learned the clarinet and guitar but prefers the piano, particularly jazz. Thirty Years ago, he was playing piano at summer shows and pantomimes and, at the age of 20, was good enough to have an agent and an audition for the 1970s television show “Rock Follies” where he took the part of a punk piano player.
He is also an after dinner speaker and his contacts book has the numbers of Lord Cecil Parkinson. Sir Tim Rice. Sir Christopher Meyer. Lord David Owen and Sir Donald Sinden - all of whom he has persuaded to speak at monthly events he is holding as president of the Sussex Medico Chirurgical Society.
Both Sir Tim and Sir Christopher are old boys of Lancing College, where all four of Dr Brunjes’ children went to school.
