Independent healthcare providers consistently delivered 10% of NHS elective care between January to November 2024.
The latest quarterly analysis from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) shows that overall, independent providers consistently delivered 10% of all NHS elective care, with the sector carrying out almost one in five NHS operations overall in the past 12 months – 18,000 every week.
It further found that the independent health sector delivered almost half a million (460,000) episodes of care a month in 2024 for NHS patients, including appointments, scans, tests and surgical procedures, free at the point of use to patients.
This equates to an increase of more than 50% over the last four years.
All activity is paid at NHS prices.
The NHS waiting list in England was 7,479,960 people in November 2024.
The IHPN said the sector was playing a particularly key role in the delivery of NHS orthopaedics and ophthalmology care.
The latest NHS data shows that in November 2024 more than 22% of all NHS trauma and orthopaedics activity and more than 21% of all NHS ophthalmology activity were delivered by independent providers – totalling 36,000 patients each month treated in the sector in each specialty.
The data also shows NHS patients in the independent sector were treated more quickly than the average for the health service – waiting for just over 11 weeks compared with an average of 18 weeks for those seen by NHS providers.
David Hare, CEO of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) (pictured), said: “This latest data shows the independent sector’s increasingly pivotal role in delivering frontline NHS care – treating and removing more than 1.5 million patients from the waiting list in 2024 and helping the government to meet their key milestone to ensure 92% of patients are treated within 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament.
“Given NHS waiting lists are still at record levels, the sector is committed to building on this already impressive achievement and will be working with the government to ensure the principles contained in the recent NHS and independent sector partnership are fully embedded – enabling patients to have a greater choice over their care so they can get the treatment they need, when they need it.”
