Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) announces ‘refresh’ of guidelines following ‘much change in the patient safety landscape’.
Medical governance guidelines used by private health providers are to be updated following the introduction of “new initiatives such as Martha’s Rule, where patients and families can request a second clinical opinion” since the last review in 2022.
The Independent Healthcare Providers Network director of regulation Dawn Hodgkins told the Digest that the decision to “refresh” its Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework (MPAF) was prompted by “much change in the patient safety landscape”.
She said these included “key developments such as the establishment of the NHS’ National Consultant Information Programme (NCIP) and Outcomes Registries Programme (ORP), in addition to the new initiative known as Martha’s Law, which is designed to ensure patients and families can access a second clinical opinion”.
She added that “moves to strengthen the patient voice, notably the Government’s ‘duty of candour’ regulations” had also informed the decision to launch the review.
Martha’s law is a patient safety initiative being introduced across NHS acute trusts to support early detection of deterioration by ensuring the concerns of patients, families, carers and staff are heard and acted upon. It follows a campaign by the parents of 13-year-old Martha Mills after a coroner ruled that she probably would not have died of sepsis had she been moved to intensive care sooner.
First introduced in 2019, the MPAF sets out core principles for strong medical governance across the independent healthcare sector and is now well-established within the regulatory landscape. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) uses it to assess leadership in independent services and it is embedded within the NHS Standard Contract for providers delivering NHS-funded care.
The refresh will be led by recent NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis, supported by a reference group including representatives from independent providers, the NHS, Royal Colleges, regulators, and patient groups.
The IHPN said it would also ‘consult widely with its membership as part of the refresh to ensure the updated framework reflects the experience and expertise of providers across the sector’.
The refreshed MPAF is expected to be published in autumn 2026.
For more information visit: https://www.ihpn.org.uk/medical-practitioners-assurance-framework-mpaf-refresh-2026/
