Q. I keep getting caught out during out-of-hours with patients not having cash for consultations and who are surprised there isn't a card reader in the centre, what can I do?

Consider investing in a mobile personal card reader. This solution works for infrequent payments and is a useful option for sharing restaurant tabs with friends, but I advise it would not be economical as a card reader for the practice. The only device trading well in Ireland today is SumUP. Typically purchased for €39 (on sale at the moment for €19) as a one-off payment, it deducts 2.75% from each transaction as their payment. It has no rental or monthly fees. A small pocket-sized device that allows chip and pin and contactless payments. The device runs through a smartphone app and takes only two to three days to process the payment.

SumUp also has a device for €69 that has an built-in sim card and can be used in places with low or no mobile cover-age. For more information or to sign up, visit www.sumup.ie