The Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) is calling for greater collaboration between the NHS and independent sector to improve cancer patient care and efficiency across the healthcare system.
The call follows publication of a new IHPN report that looks at the increasing role of the sector in delivering care for cancer patients – with one in five of all NHS MRI and CT scans and nearly half of all PET-CT scans currently delivered by independent providers.
Alongside this, more people are now choosing to go private for their cancer treatment with around 320,000 private cancer admissions between 2022 and 2025, and chemotherapy now the second most commonly paid for healthcare treatment, the report said.
Despite this growing contribution, with patients increasingly moving between NHS and independent providers throughout their cancer journey, the IHPN argued too often patients encounter avoidable barriers when moving between providers which has a detrimental impact on both patient experience and outcomes.
Their findings are backed up by July’s NHS Resolution report which found that independent providers were often unable to make direct urgent suspected cancer referrals into NHS services when a private patient requests transfer to NHS care.
Instead, the report finds patients may be required to return to their GP to begin the referral process again – creating unnecessary duplication, delay and administrative burden despite a qualified clinician having already made a clinically informed decision to refer.
Straightforward referrals
Consequently, the IHPN is calling for a number of actions to be taken.
This includes more straightforward referral into NHS urgent suspected cancer pathways following incidental findings in the independent sector, and better interoperability and sharing of patient records, imaging and diagnostic information to reduce duplication and support continuity of care.
There is also a call for stronger integration between NHS and independent multidisciplinary teams through clear governance frameworks, ensuring clinicians can work together more effectively.
The government’s National Cancer Plan, launched in February, committed to ensuring all three cancer waiting time standards are met by the end of this Parliament – potentially saving 320,000 more lives by 2035.
As a result IHPN is also calling for an expansion of NHS patient choice rights in cancer diagnostics to support faster diagnosis and better use of available capacity, along with more opportunities for independent providers to participate in national cancer research and clinical trials, widening patient access to innovation.
Keeping up to date with mixing and matching
Danielle Henry, director of policy at IHPN, said: “With growing numbers of patients mixing and matching NHS and private cancer treatment, it’s vital that the health system architecture keeps pace with this – ensuring patients experience a seamless cancer journey, regardless of where they receive their care.
“However, we know that too many cancer patients – already dealing with a hugely stressful time in their life – are facing huge barriers as they move between NHS and independent providers – grappling with a system which creates unnecessary delays, duplication and significant administrative burden for them.
“Cancer does not recognise organisational boundaries and neither should cancer care.
“We therefore want to see much greater collaboration between the NHS and independent sector – including more effective sharing of patient records to reduce duplication and support continuity of care, along with stronger integration to ensure clinicians can work together more effectively – helping improve both patient experience and outcomes and ultimately saving lives.”