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
Private Healthcare
Millions of people every year choose to use private healthcare, either through insurance or paying themselves. IHPN conducts regular research on current trends in this area and works to improve the accessibility of privately funded care to patients.
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 response to Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) data update
01/09/2025
"Businesses are relying heavily on the sector to keep the British workforce healthy, and the government should not impede businesses from doing so. We hope that the upcoming budget will introduce measures that reward employers for supporting the health and wellbeing of their staff, which would reduce the impacts of inactivity on the economy."
News
Half of 35-44yrs expecting to use private healthcare in the coming year, new research shows
15/08/2025
Private healthcare is increasingly being seen as “essential” for younger working-age people, new research has found, with half of 35–44 year olds expecting to pay for treatment in the coming year.
News
IHPN responds to new FCA survey showing 1 in 7 adults now hold private medical insurance
22/05/2025
IHPN responds to the latest FCA survey showing 1 in 7 people now have private medical insurance (PMI)
News
New IHPN analysis shows over 1.1m private diagnostic scans & tests delivered last year
15/04/2025
New IHPN analysis published today has found that over 1.1million private tests and scans were delivered in 2024. This represents double digit growth in the last year with some of our members experiencing 20%+ increases in demand.
Blog
Tomorrow's World - how today’s innovations will shape the next decade
13/11/2024
Over the summer we asked our members to think about where they see the independent sector in 2034, whether in considering the innovations in care and technology that will change the way people are treated, the relationship between patients, providers and insurers, or how they saw the ties between the NHS and the sector growing and maturing.
News
"Future of Healthcare" report released
07/11/2024
Private healthcare providers are today launching their vision for the future of healthcare and what it will mean for providers working in the sector.
News
New research shows “going private” is becoming the new normal
02/09/2024
Read the results of IHPN's Going Private 2024 which looks at public attitudes to private healthcare
News
IHPN reaction to Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) data update
05/03/2024
In response to the latest Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) quarterly data update, David Furness, director of policy and delivery has commented: “The latest data shows strong continued demand for private healthcare, with large numbers of patients choosing to use the private sector to access healthcare.
Reports
Going Private: A briefing on private primary care
08/02/2024
This briefing is aimed at helping improve understanding of private primary care in terms of what it offers, current trends and potential future developments.
News
New research published - Going Private
09/10/2023
IHPN has released a major new report on people’s perceptions of private healthcare, Going Private 2023.