Description
In this speech, Paul Manning from Circle Health Group discusses the role of the independent healthcare sector in alleviating pressure on the NHS, particularly in the face of increased demand during the winter months and as the NHS faces resource challenges. He outlines the capabilities of the independent sector, detailing the number of hospitals, beds, operating theatres, and medical professionals available to help shoulder the burden of elective surgeries, especially in orthopaedics. Manning reflects on the independent sector's contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic, where they increased the volume of complex surgeries performed in their facilities. He emphasizes the potential for additional capacity in the independent sector to perform half a million more procedures annually under flexible job planning arrangements. He notes the importance of maintaining bed capacity solely for elective procedures and stresses that ongoing challenges such as recruitment, especially of nurses, can be mitigated through focused training and international recruitment efforts. Manning concludes by inviting questions, indicating an openness to collaboration between the NHS and the independent sector to enhance patient care and surgical throughput.
DOI: 10.1302/3114-230200