Over the last 12 months, we have worked on your behalf - both publicly, but more often behind the scenes - on a range of Independent sector-specific and across the board issues.
Our achievements for Independent Sector members include:
Strengthening the Independent Sector forum
The member forum currently meets six times a year in London and is open to all member organisations. During 2005/06 the forum met speakers from the Healthcare Commission, the commercial directorate at the Department of Health, the Health and Social Care Information Centre, NHS Employers and Connecting for Health.
Forum membership continues to increase and, in response to the rapidly developing agenda for independent and voluntary providers, now meets bi-monthly. Sub-groups have been established to develop agendas in specific sectors, including mental health, primary and community care, diagnostics and electives, long-term conditions and the voluntary sector. The groups have established virtual networks and pursue work streams in their areas.
Influencing
Members met alongside NHS colleagues at a recent dinner with Lord Warner to discuss the issues surrounding the creation of a level playing field for all providers.
Members of the forum hosted a dinner for the head of independent care at the Healthcare Commission, to lobby on the new assessment systems. Members have joined policy development events and seminars - mental health providers are currently active members of the mental health committee and of the mental health policy network, which consulted on the Mental Health Bill.
Members have co-opted places on the NHS Confederation council and the NHS Employers assembly, giving them the opportunity to be involved in steering our overall policy and influencing position.
Our cross-sector achievements last year include:
Making the case for our members
We were the only organisation to strongly and consistently make the case for our members on finance, the independent sector treatment centres programme, the regulatory burden, deficits, Commissioning a Patient-led NHS, the reform agenda and Herceptin. We believe our approach of lobbying from within and using our public voice wisely has led to more real changes in policy than could have been achieved through grandstanding press releases.
Surveying trusts facing turnaround teams
In an increasingly negative media environment the Confederation completed the only in-depth survey of trusts facing turnaround teams. We successfully shifted the media focus on to the need for politicians to have the courage to take long-term difficult decisions.
Fulfilling the objectives of the 17 Million Reasons campaign
The campaign, set up by the NHS Confederation, put long-term conditions on the agenda and saw all of its objectives met with the publication of the White Paper on out-of-hospital care. The White Paper also contained a raft of policies that the Confederation had been consistently calling for on end-of-life care, sexual health, mental health and learning disabilities.
Tackling the MRSA furore
During the general election campaign, the Confederation stepped into difficult waters to defend our members on MRSA. Our approach led to a swifter solution and the withdrawal of inaccurate campaigning letters.
Influencing the new regulatory system
The Healthcare Commission's new performance rating system was heavily influenced by the Confederation's series of interactive consultation events with members and the Commission. We continue to lobby to reduce the burden of bureaucracy and to develop a level playing field for all providers.
Building relationships with the political parties
We continued to meet with ministers frequently and have an extensive contact programme with special advisers and senior civil servants. We gave evidence to the Health Select Committee six times last year and continued to build solid relationships with all the major political parties.
