PHIN to work on whole-practice consultant databank
The Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) is backing a Paterson Inquiry recommendation for a single repository of whole practice consultant information, available to managers and healthcare professionals.
It believes this will support better clinical governance and help identify patterns of poor care at an earlier stage.
PHIN chairman Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen said it was vital this was also available to the public in an accessible and understandable way.
PHIN will soon launch a consultation with NHS Digital which considers the first steps for this and will work towards the creation of a single unified dataset for planned hospital admissions in England.
Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen
Dr Vallance-Owen said: ‘We must accept that there were system-wide failures which let Ian Paterson take advantage of his patients’ trust.
‘Changes have been introduced to reduce the reporting gap between private and NHS healthcare, with PHIN publishing more information for patients about private healthcare than has been available before. However, data reporting and clinical governance too often remains fragmented.
‘Patients deserve the best standards of care and peace of mind that their consultants and hospitals are held accountable, regardless of whether their care is funded through the NHS or by themselves.’