ISCAS believes it is important patients and the public have access to information and everything they need to know about private healthcare and the options that are available to them. ISCAS welcomes the excellent new animation and feels that this will help support patients to make the best decisions around their treatment. In response to … Continue reading ISCAS welcomes new animation launched to help patients navigate private healthcare

Like so many things during this pandemic, using remote working technology has provided an opportunity to think about how we do things, including operating our governance framework and how we gain feedback from different service users. On 7th September 2020, ISCAS hosted a remote advisory group session involving subscribers and those supporting the maintenance of … Continue reading ISCAS is listening

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) report “Making Complaints Count” provides the results from research undertaken by PHSO that highlights similar themes from complaints about public services – in summary: Failure to respond to the points raised by those who complain Poor coordination of investigations Delays in responding to those who raise complaints Failure … Continue reading Making Complaints Count

ISCAS has previously highlighted the blog of Professor Ted Baker, Chief Inspector of Hospitals at the Care Quality Commission (CQC), in which he explained the different escalation points for complaints for NHS funded patients and privately funded patients. In the blog, Professor Baker reminds service providers, including NHS private patient units (NHSPPUs), that private patients … Continue reading ISCAS position on escalating private patient complaints in the NHS

The report of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (IMMDS Review) has been subtitled First Do No Harm – a phrase that those working in healthcare know as a first principle. The report recognises that the healthcare system has lots to be proud of, especially at this time of the pandemic. Sadly the … Continue reading First Do No Harm

In the week of the 72nd Birthday of the NHS, the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) has published a new report that shows how the independent sector has stepped up to increase the support to the NHS. Working together during Covid-19 provides many examples of how healthcare providers have come together to ensure treatments can … Continue reading Health Information Week

The Paterson Inquiry Report was published in February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the UK. The report made a number of recommendations including the need to explain the differences between how private treatment is organised, including the use of ‘practising privileges’ and recommendations on having more effective communication about escalating complaints. ISCAS … Continue reading Patient Focus Group

The news this week about schools has brought the complex issue about reopening any facility into sharp focus. This is also relevant to private healthcare and cosmetic services. The General Medical Council (GMC) has set out how it would respond to doctors considering reopening cosmetic clinics and this can be found on the JCCP website. … Continue reading Reopening services: Guidance from GMC

ISCAS has developed, with the Patients Association, information for people to help signpost them to guidance that can inform conversations about the reintroduction of private healthcare and cosmetic services. This is a very fast-moving position and information is being updated regularly. The COVID-19 recovery strategy means that people should be returning to work where they … Continue reading Patient Information COVID-19: Reopening private services

Subscribers to ISCAS handle complaints as set out in the Code of Practice for Complaints Handling. Standard 2 of the ISCAS Code states that Independent Healthcare Providers (IHPs) shall: Ensure that the procedure for handling complaints is well-publicised and readily available. For example, IHP websites should include information on ‘how to complain’ and confirm their … Continue reading Patient Information – Coronavirus (COVID-19)