Our vision

The Confederation believes that independent and not-for-profit sector providers are part of the NHS family and are making significant and wide-ranging improvements to the lives of NHS patients in their care. We believe that the plurality agenda presents an opportunity to re-shape provision of services more closely around the needs of patients.

The challenges that providers of care to NHS patients face are:

Responding to complex patient needs

Providers must respond in a timely, cost-effective way using increasingly sophisticated ways of working in a variety of settings.

Creating a level playing field

A level playing field is needed to ensure that there is equity for independent providers - alongside all providers of care in the NHS - from the traditional NHS and foundation trusts to commercial and voluntary NHS providers.

Providing high quality patient care

We are working towards ensuring all sectors provide high quality patient care on an equal footing.

• To do this Independent sector providers need:
• Strong commissioning, with a local focus
• A truly mixed economy which would include an open and clearly accredited entry mechanisms for new providers, a single standard of licensing and providers from all sectors within a dynamic market
• An independent and fair payment mechanism, which balances quality and price pressures
• A common regulation, working to better regulatory standards, underpinned by a meaningful and common dataset which focuses on patient safety and outcomes
• Providers and commissioners to successfully managing a variety of simultaneous multiple long-term relationships.

As well as aiming to support the needs of the specific parts of our membership wherever possible, as a membership organisation the NHS Confederation represents all parts of the NHS. Our work with our Independent Sector members feeds into the voice for the whole NHS, and supports solutions that benefit the whole system for patients and the public.