The quality and safety of patient care from independent healthcare providers are continuing at high levels, a new report finds.
The vast majority (94%) of independent healthcare providers in the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) are now rated good or outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The encouraging findings were published in the network’s audit of patient safety and quality, looking at last year’s data. It includes 92% of independent sector hospitals operating at this high level – a marked improvement since 2018, when around just 70% were rated good or outstanding.
The CQC has also given these ratings to 87% of independent locations rated for diagnostic imaging services, 92% of independent community healthcare locations and 83% of IHPN members who deliver neurodevelopmental assessments, including for ADHD and autism.
The statistics are particularly promising because independent providers now treat record numbers of patients, both in the NHS and private sector.
Independent growth
The IHPN also found that one-in-five of all NHS elective orthopaedic activity now takes place in the independent sector, with the latest Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS) data showing seven of the top ten providers treating NHS patients for hips and knees are independent providers. A further 98% of NHS inpatients treated by independent sector organisations would also now recommend their provider to friends or family.
But the work isn’t done yet. With rising numbers now “mixing and matching” NHS and private care, the IHPN are calling for further progress to ensure the collection of data and outcomes on safety and quality better aligns across the healthcare system. The hope is for this to allow patients to make the best choices for their care.
Over the past year, the independent sector has also made strides in embedding Freedom to Speak Up to promote patient safety, workforce wellbeing and organisational culture. The number of Freedom to Speak Up guardians across independent providers has more than doubled over 2.5 years, now surpassing 600.
Finally, with more and more patients choosing to access cancer treatment privately, it was noted that over 70 independent providers hold the Macmillan Quality Environment Mark for “going above and beyond to create welcoming, friendly spaces”.
“In light of the growing role the sector is playing in the delivery of healthcare in the UK, it’s now more important than ever that further progress is made to ensure that independent providers are fully factored into the evolving healthcare data landscape and wider national quality reforms,” said Dawn Hodgkins, director of regulation at the IHPN.
