Summary
New research shows that more independent hospitals are rated as “good” or “outstanding” than ever before, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and the subsequent period of health system recovery.
The Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) conducted a national review of quality and safety data across the sector, looking at a broad range of datasets to evaluate quality and safety in key areas, analysing data from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Content
The research found 92% of acute independent, non-specialist hospitals, which deliver a wide range of services to both NHS and private patients, including orthopaedics, oncology, ophthalmology, gynaecology, gastroenterology, dermatology and general surgery, are now in the top two categories overall for quality of care.
This figure is up from 70% at the beginning of 2018, with more than double the number of hospitals now having been assessed (447 compared with 200 in 2018).
A similar pattern of improvement was noted in other areas, such as providers’ core services, and in children’s and young people’s services, where standards are at similarly high levels compared with recent years.
The report also highlights the need for continued, consistent gathering and analysis of data.
The work comes against the backdrop of continued growth in demand for private healthcare, with recent figures showing record levels of patients going private for a whole range of operations and procedures.
Other recent IHPN research found that more than 7 in 10 users of private healthcare felt positive about the sector. The quality of care was the second most significant thing that people liked about private healthcare, just behind the ability to be seen at short notice.
The research also found that over 8 in 10 people (82%) who have paid themselves say they thought it was definitely, or probably worth the money – a reflection of the excellent quality of service and quality of care which the private sector provides, but also of the huge value that people place on their health and wellbeing.
At the same time, the independent sector continues to play a vital partnership role working with and alongside the NHS to deliver high quality NHS care to patients, free at the point of access.
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