Concordat advocates pushing the boundaries

The NHS Partners Network (NHSPN) – the trade association representing independent sector providers of NHS clinical services – believes that hundreds of thousands of patients every year could benefit from more treatment and care from the independent sector. Chief executive of the NHSPN, David Hare, said:  “Over many decades the independent sector has played its part in ensuring that NHS patients receive high quality care, free at the point of use, based on clinical need and not ability to pay. Those principles and values are as important now as they were in 1948 and we are ready, willing and able to put our shoulder to the wheel to help maintain and improve the NHS in the years ahead.” 

The NHS Partners Network report ‘15 years of Concordat: reflection and renewal,’ highlights the contributions made by independent sector providers to the NHS since the first concordat between the NHS and the independent sector was created in 2000 and investigates its future role, helping the NHS to face current and future challenges. 

The report says that the NHS needs to make better use of the independent sector in areas such as capital investment and technological innovation to help re-design health and care services. Rob Webster, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “As we strive to meet the ever increasing demand for highquality healthcare, new collaborations will change the way we deliver services to patients. These collaborations will involve all parts of the NHS, including the independent sector, and must harness the capability, energy, resources and innovation that each party brings.”