Until now independent hospitals have only been able to contribute to a small number of programmes to improve clinical standards, such as the National Joint Registry, but not to the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP) which is commissioned and managed by Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP).
This new initiative, which is jointly led by HQIP and the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), will focus on audits for breast cancer treatment for older people and cataract surgery. PHIN is supporting the programme as member of the Advisory Board alongside Public Health England, independent hospitals and NCAPOP audit providers.
Launching the programme, Danny Keenan, HQIP medical director, said “We believe there are substantial benefits to involving independent providers in the national programme; as well as giving us a more comprehensive and reliable picture of the quality of care in the English health system, it builds on the work already undertaken by the IHPN to support their members within their own regulatory framework which sees over 78% of independent sector hospitals rated good or outstanding by the Care Quality Commission.”
The pilot follows the launch of the ADAPt programme last year – led by PHIN and NHS Digital, which also aims to drive greater alignment in reporting across the NHS and private healthcare sector.
For more information visit IHPN’s website.