Keeping you safe
Patient safety is our highest priority.
We have a culture of continuous learning, strong ward to board governance and rigorous oversight of quality performance at hospital and group level.
We are robustly regulated by the Care Quality Commission, and its equivalents in Wales and Scotland. We are pleased that 98% of our inspected hospitals and clinics are rated ‘Good’, ‘Outstanding’ or the equivalent, with five rated ‘Outstanding,’ more than any other independent provider. 100% of our hospitals are rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ for being caring. This reflects the professionalism and dedication of our 14,500 staff and the 8,670 consultants that practise with us.
Justin Ash, Chief Executive Officer
Some of the key initiatives we have taken to strengthen patient safety and governance include:
- Being the first provider in our sector to introduce Freedom to Speak Up Guardians in every hospital, enabling staff to raise any concerns they have confidentially
- Spending over £70 million each year on improvements, for example, purchasing new MRI and CT scanners, and the latest medical equipment and upgrading our operating theatres and other parts of our hospitals
- Board and Executive team closely engaged in governance, with three clinicians, Dame Janet Husband, Professor Cliff Shearman and Jenny Kay, on our Board, and two further clinicians, Cathy Cale and Professor Lisa Grant on our Executive Team
- 20 separate governance meetings, each year at Board and Executive level, dedicated to overseeing quality
Sometimes in healthcare, things do go wrong. When they do, we are open, we investigate thoroughly and we make sure we learn lessons.
If you have any concerns, comments, or feedback, you can call 0800 169 1777 or send us feedback.
Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework (MPAF)
At Spire, we are committed to openness, transparency and placing patient safety and quality at the heart of everything we do. As part of this, we are committed to implementing the Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework (MPAF), which aims to help strengthen systems governing the conduct of medical practitioners in the independent healthcare sector.
MPAF was published by the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), the representative body for independent healthcare providers in autumn 2019. It was developed under the leadership of Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, former National Medical Director at NHS England, supported by an Expert Advisory Group including representation from Spire and other acute independent providers, as well as the Patients Association, regulators and other independent bodies.
MPAF sets out best practice in four areas:
- Clinical governance structures
- Monitoring patient safety
- Appraisals of medical practitioners
- Raising and responding to concerns
We are fully supportive of MPAF and confident that we are compliant with its principles. For example:
- We have an established process under which consultants apply to practise in our hospitals and regular reviews of consultants’ practising privileges
- Any practitioner working with Spire can raise concerns through our network of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians or our whistleblowing helpline
- We submit data to a number of national audits and registries and we are committed to sharing more widely
We are committed to ongoing learning and improvement, and during 2020 we will continue to assess whether there are any further actions we need to take to remain compliant.
What to expect from independent healthcare
by The Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN)
With the support of The Patients Association, IHPN have created this short animation explaining your rights as a patient around being treated safely, receiving the highest professional standards of care, and having a good experience of private healthcare.
