How confident are UK providers about different payor models? The Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) has released its third annual industry barometer, showing how independent providers view opportunities in the UK.

The report shows providers are most positive about domestic self-pay, with 88% having a positive view, 12% having a neutral view and 0% having a negative view.

Providers are most negative about NHS-funded services with more than half having a negative view. Any government reluctance to utilise the private sector to tackle the backlog of, say, elective surgery, may change in the light of its new taskforce announced earlier this week, which aims to boost NHS outsourcing to the public sector.

PMI and international self-pay have similar levels of positivity. The PMI market is not as large in the UK as in Portugal or Spain but is still getting a small boost from the declining quality within the NHS. As for international self-pay, IHPN has said confidence in the sector is boosting as travel restrictions come to an end.

David Hare, IHPN’s chief executive said: “This year’s Industry Barometer shows the real sense of optimism within the independent healthcare sector, with demand for the high-quality services it provides expected to rise significantly in the coming year – particularly amongst private patients.

“While the sector remains fully committed to playing its role in the wider NHS recovery – and see this market as a key prospect for growth – providers are reporting real concerns around the establishment of NHS Integrated Care Systems (ICS), which independent providers are saying that they feel excluded from despite the sector playing a key role in frontline NHS service delivery.

“Given the scale of the challenge in tackling the current backlog of NHS care, it’s vital that an “all shoulders to the wheel” approach is taken, with a key role set out for independent healthcare providers in every NHS ICS. We’re therefore urging the NHS to “help us, help you” and ensure the sector can play its full part in improving patient access to care in the coming months and years.”