Private healthcare providers are unveiling their vision for the future of healthcare and its implications for those working in the sector.
Drawing on insights from nearly 20 sector leaders and healthcare experts, the Independent Healthcare Providers Network’s new report, “Tomorrow’s World,” predicts that after enduring the pandemic and now delivering record levels of care to both NHS and private patients, the sector’s role will continue to expand and become even more integral to the UK health system in the coming years.
The report examines the next decade of healthcare from three perspectives: the future for patients, the operational future, and the commercial future. It identifies several key developments and trends that independent providers expect to see, including:
- Patient-Centered Care: The future healthcare system will be built around patient choice, including how they pay for care, who treats them, where treatment occurs, and what their care pathway looks like. This will involve providing more accessible information about service quality, strong outcomes data with easy-to-navigate platforms to support and empower patients, and increased use of digital technologies to bring healthcare into the home as well as the hospital.
- Preventative Healthcare: There will be a stronger presence for independent providers in primary and community care to meet the growing demand for preventative healthcare. Closer integration with NHS services is also anticipated to ensure a seamless patient pathway, with potential roles for “care coordinators” to help patients access care in both the NHS and independent sectors.
- New Insurance Options: The development of new insurance products will cater to patients seeking greater choice and flexibility in accessing healthcare. This includes ‘PMI light’ products for specific parts of the care pathway, such as diagnostics, and options for employers to offer a range of insurance benefits to their workforce. Longer-term commissioning and contracting cycles in the NHS are also seen as a way to unlock new investment from the sector and facilitate more innovative care for NHS patients.
David Hare, Chief Executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), said:
“With a new Government and forthcoming ten-year plan for health, it’s the ideal time for the sector to come together and set out their vision for what the future of healthcare looks like and how they can better support increasing numbers of NHS and private patients.
“This report sets out just some of the ways that members and sector thought-leaders think healthcare delivery is likely to transform in the years ahead”
“Whether that’s their relationships with the NHS, the way that patients as consumers seek to manage their health in new and emerging ways, or the types of care and support the sector provides.
“While the future is not set in stone, IHPN and its members see the independent sector playing an ever more crucial role in the healthcare of the nation in the years ahead, with empowered and informed patients at its heart.”
Image credits: IHPN / iStock
