Conclusion and next steps

This report demonstrates meaningful progress across quality and safety in the independent sector during 2025, and we are proud of what has been achieved. But we recognise there is always more to do.

In the coming year, our focus will be on the areas where progress has been slower than ideal.

Resolving the information governance issues that are holding back information flow into the Outcomes and Registries Programme remains a priority – the safe and secure flow of data across healthcare settings is essential to understanding patient journeys and supporting better care.

We will continue to press for the pace of regulatory assessment to increase so that patients, providers and commissioners are clear about the quality and safety of services, and we will continue to work with Government and NHS England to ensure that patients can access the shortest available waiting times, wherever those services are provided.

We will also continue to champion quality and safety across the sector through our 2026 work programme, including our seventh annual Patient Safety Conference and the refresh of the Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework (MPAF). And, as ever, patients remain at the heart of everything we do. Their voices must continue to shape services, and their right to choose care that meets their needs must be protected and strengthened across the whole of the healthcare system.