Responding to today’s latest NHS performance stats, David Hare, Chief Executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), said:

“With today’s figures showing the largest NHS waiting list on record it is clear that the government must make dealing with the backlog of care a major priority in the months and years ahead.

“The independent healthcare sector has played a significant role in ensuring non-covid NHS treatment could continue during the pandemic and will need to play a significant role to help the NHS recover services.

“Independent providers have now delivered over 3.2 million NHS operations, consultations, chemotherapy sessions and scans since last March under the historic national deal with NHS England – with over 305,000 NHS procedures delivered by the sector in February 2021 alone.

“The NHS and the independent sector will build on this extraordinary partnership to give NHS patients access to the best possible NHS care, free at the point of use.”