Blog
What do the Scotland and Wales elections mean for independent healthcare?
05/05/2026
IHPN's Director of Comms, Cara McDonagh looks at what this week's Scotland and Wales elections will mean for independent healthcare
Latest News
IHPN are the leading national commentator in the media on the independent healthcare sector. Keep an eye on these pages for all our latest news, press releases, publications and announcements.
For all media enquiries, please contact [email protected] or tel: 07789 867 919
News
Strong growth expected in private market, new industry study shows
24/04/2026
Findings from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network’s (IHPN) latest “Industry Barometer” – which looks at how senior leaders from over 50 independent providers feel about the key issues relating to their business – show that confidence is rapidly growing in the domestic self-pay market. Against a backdrop of the continuing challenges around accessing NHS care, almost 8 in 10 (78%) of respondents reported feeling positive or very positive about this payor group, compared with 62% last year.
News
IHPN responds to NHS figures and 10yr anniversary of 18wk target being met
16/04/2026
Responding to the latest NHS performance figures for February 2026 – marking 10 years since the NHS’ 18 week Referral To Treatment target was last met in February 2016 – David Hare, Chief Executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) said: “While it’s welcome to see another small drop in the overall NHS waiting list, these latest performance figures mark the grim milestone of a decade now passing since the NHS’ 18 week target was last met.
Blog
AI in healthcare: opportunity, realism and what our members are telling us
31/03/2026
IHPN's Director of Policy Danielle Henry looks at how AI is increasingly being applied across the independent healthcare sector by our members to improve efficiency, diagnostics, and patient care.
News
IHPN responds to new British Social Attitudes Survey into NHS satisfaction
25/03/2026
Responding to the latest British Social Attitudes survey on public satisfaction with the NHS, David Hare, Chief Executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), said: “It’s encouraging to see a small rise in public satisfaction with the NHS, but these figures still reflect a system under significant strain, with concerns about access and waiting times continuing to dominate.
News
IHPN announces refresh of medical governance framework for independent providers, led by Professor Sir Stephen Powis
23/03/2026
The Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) has today announced a refresh of its Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework (MPAF), reinforcing the sector’s commitment to continually improving patient safety and quality of care.
Blog
What does the Neighbourhood Health Framework mean for independent providers?
19/03/2026
“Far from providing clarity regarding what neighbourhoods and integrated neighbourhood teams might look like in practice, then, NHS England have set some broad expectations and asked local systems to fill in the details, favouring permission over prescription. However, there are some areas where independent providers can see greater direction.”
News
IHPN Annual Report 2025/6
13/03/2026
IHPN’s Annual Report 2024/5 highlights just some of our key achievements over the last year, and how we’ve supported our members to deliver great care to both NHS and private patients.
News
Patient Safety Incident Response Framework three years on - what have we learned?
13/03/2026
PSIRF is now mandatory for NHS bodies and providers operating under the NHS Standard Contract and here at IHPN we have done a significant amount of work with our members to support them in transitioning to this new way of looking at patient safety incidents. Three years on from its initial implementation what have we learned?
News
IHPN responds to drop in NHS waiting lists
12/03/2026
“While it’s welcome to see a small decrease in the overall NHS waiting list, what matters most to patients is how long they have to wait for their care. Today’s numbers show that the proportion of people being treated within the 18 week target remains stubbornly at just 61.5% - with the service needing to pull out all the stops if it has a hope of meeting its interim target for 65% of patients to be treated within this timeframe by the end of March, and ultimately ensure the overall target is met by the end of this Parliament."
Blog
International Woman's Day 2026 - "Give to Gain"
09/03/2026
To celebrate International Women's Day, Alex Ryan, Chair of IHPN's Women Leaders Network (WLN) and Group Director of Service Development at Acacium Group reflect on the progess that the WLN has achieved in the past twelve months
Blog
How does the new GP contract contribute to the Neighbourhood Health Service?
26/02/2026
IHPN's Josh Edwards takes a look at the new GP contract and the implications for the independent sector