The NHS

Whilst the overall feeling of being integrated into local systems of care is disappointing, it is positive that there has been some improvement – 58% feel involved in part, and fewer respondents feel that they aren’t part of their local system. Feedback indicates that difficulties engaging with systems persist.

This year respondents are slightly more positive about the impact on their business from Integrated Care Systems from 7% to 25%. Disappointingly, we still see a substantial proportion of respondents seeing no change at all.

Relationships between independent providers and their local NHS organisations look to have improved since last year, with 43% feeling an improved relationship.

Views about the NHS leadership’s attitude towards the independent health sector have deteriorated from last year – moving back to 2021 levels. 22% of respondents feeling positively as compared to 30% last year and 21% the year before.

Respondents feel there will be two main drivers of commissioner behaviour over the next few years – 42% feel it will be the need to tackle NHS backlogs, and 47% feeling it will be based on pressure to achieve savings. This is a less polarised position to last year with respondents feeling there are other factors at play such as implementation of central NHS policy.