The Chief Executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, David Hare, has been awarded an MBE in the 2023 New Year’s Honours List for services to healthcare, particularly during Covid-19.

David has been CEO of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network since 2014. During this time membership has grown from 26 to almost 100 members and the work of IHPN has expanded significantly to include critical work to improve standards and patient safety in the sector. This can be seen through his work in bringing together independent healthcare providers to implement the Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework – used by the Care Quality Commission in assessing how well-led an independent service is, and now a requirement for all independent providers under the NHS’ 2022/23 Standard Contract.  

During the pandemic David was instrumental in brokering and leading the historic partnership between the NHS and independent hospitals which resulted in the delivery of over 3.3m vital NHS treatments, and which has been described by NHS England’s CEO Amanda Pritchard as “critical” in ensuring cancer services could be maintained throughout covid. David also oversaw a similar arrangement in Wales as well as supporting the sector to ensure that vital scans and community treatments were available to the NHS during the most challenging period in its history.

Building on the partnership working during the pandemic, David has worked tirelessly to help enable the independent sector to support the NHS in meeting the challenges it faces. This includes his current role on the Government’s NHS backlogs taskforce which is looking at how independent providers can be better used to reduce waiting times for NHS patients.

Commenting on the award, IHPN’s Chair, Lord Patel of Bradford, said:

“This award is in recognition of David’s invaluable contribution to the pandemic response, which resulted in millions of NHS patients being able to access treatment in the independent healthcare sector which they would otherwise not have been able to. Under his leadership, IHPN has gone from strength to strength and his commitment to ensuring a thriving independent healthcare sector which delivers the highest quality care to both NHS and private patients is recognised across the entire healthcare sector. On behalf of IHPN’s board and wider membership, I congratulate him on this welcome recognition of his tireless work during the pandemic.”

Speaking after he received news of his award, David Hare said:

“I am immensely proud to receive an MBE in the 2023 New Year’s Honours list. The award is a reflection of the great contribution which the independent healthcare sector makes to the health of the nation, and in particular the care that was delivered to millions of patients during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.”