The proposed framework for the oversight of doctors in the independent healthcare sector, can capitalise on existing initiatives to improve information accuracy and transparency says Healthcode, the company behind The Private Practice Register (The PPR).
Launched by Sir Bruce Keogh at the IHPN Annual Summit on 23 October 2019, The Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework (MPAF)1 is intended to support greater consistency in the way that hospitals approach clinical governance so that concerns about individual consultants can be identified quickly.
Welcoming the MPAF, Healthcode’s Head of Provider Programmes & Strategy, Fiona Booth noted that the independent healthcare sector now has a source of reliable and accurate information about doctors. She said:
“The IHPN’s initiative is a great opportunity for everyone in the sector to show how seriously we take clinical governance and patient safety and that we are learning the lessons of the Paterson case.
“In truth, this is already happening within private hospitals but as the IHPN recognises, we can only really succeed if we work collaboratively to common standards and that clearly includes the quality and availability of information about clinicians.
“Healthcode has developed The PPR as a central source of reliable information about independent practitioners which is held on a single, secure platform that connects PMIs, practitioners and hospitals. It now has more than 16,000 practitioner profiles, includes a wealth of information about their private and NHS practice, and is being rolled out to hospitals to help them keep track of their consultant populations.
“The MPAF builds on current policies and processes within the independent healthcare sector and we hope the IHPN will make the most of available technology. The PPR offers strong foundations on which we can build better lines of communication, improved governance and quality assurance which is in the interests of all stakeholders and most importantly, of our patients.”
1 Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework, Independent Healthcare Providers Network, 23 October 2019