Independent sector treatment centres

Independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs) provide services to NHS patients but are owned and run by organisations outside the NHS. This briefing paper explains why ISTCs were introduced, and how they are funded, staffed and regulated.

It assesses their impact so far, including the quality of their services and whether they provide good value for money. Finally, it examines what their future may be now that the contracts ISTC providers hold with the Department of Health are beginning to expire.

Published October 2009, 10 pages

Treatment Centres

Treatment Centres (TCs) offer safe, fast, pre-booked day and short-stay surgery and diagnostic procedures in areas that have traditionally had the longest waiting times, such as ophthalmology and orthopaedics. TCs will play an important part in modernising the NHS and delivering a patient-centred health service. Whether NHS-run or managed by companies in the independent sector, the additional capacity TCs provide will be crucial in bringing down waiting times and giving patients more choice about when and where they are treated.