Core services across independent healthcare

As well as looking at overall ratings, we can consider ratings awarded to core services.

The number of core services with ratings for organisations classed as independent by the CQC is shown below:

Inspection category	Core services
Acute hospital – independent non-specialist	985
Acute hospital – independent specialist	524
Mental health – community & hospital – independent	354
Hospice services	146
Community health – NHS & independent	130
Community substance misuse	121
Independent consulting doctors	99
Residential substance misuse	89
Prison healthcare	11
Urgent care services & mobile doctors	5
Remote clinical advice	3
Slimming clinics	2
Ambulance service	2
Dentists	1

We can gain insights into the type and quality of care provided by the sector when focusing on the areas we represent. The chart below shows the most common core services delivered by independent providers with ratings by the CQC.

The chart below shows how these ratings have improved, with the proportion of services rated good or outstanding rising from about 75% in 2018 to 90% in 2025.