Benefits of Membership of the
Independent Healthcare Advisory Services

The Independent Healthcare Advisory Services is the independent healthcare sector’s leading and most influential trade body. Its broad remit and prominent status means members are fully included in, and kept up to date with, the constant evolution of policy affecting their activity. The aim is to help independent healthcare providers demonstrate a high standards of clinical practice and patient safety. Find out more about how IHAS works.

Being a member of IHAS means your organisation can benefit from:

• Industry Links
  To key healthcare agencies, stakeholders and organisations
• Influence
  In healthcare policy affecting the independent sector
• Networking
  Through workstreams, meetings and e-forums, members can share experience and expertise for the common good
• Access
  To key influencers, and the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS)

Industry Links

The links that, because of its independence, only IHAS can provide to independent sector providers include strong working relationships with, amongst others:

• Department of Health
• Parliament and Assembly in Scotland and Wales
• Care Quality Commission
• National Institute for Clinical Excellence
• General Medical Council and Medical Royal Colleges
• Nursing & Midwifery Council
• Medicines & Healthcare Regulatory Agency.

Information published by these and other organisations is monitored and regularly communicated to members through IHAS’s comprehensive monthly briefing paper IHAS Update.

IHAS, working with its members, develops Codes of Practice which are published and adopted as policy guidance for the sector.

Influence

IHAS represents the sector at each of the agencies and interest groups involved in the delivery of safe, high quality healthcare. IHAS reflects members’ interests at a multitude of meetings, and feeds back to members as appropriate. This also involves writing and publishing position papers and submitting responses to consultation documents on behalf of the sector. Find out more about who does this.

Networking

Membership of IHAS offers significant networking opportunities for members through its facilitation of workstreams, and introductions to key influencers within health care agencies. Through IHAS’s own e-mail groups or e-forums, members can also share experience and expertise across a range of specialties for the common good.

Access

IHAS facilitates meetings and functions that bring its members together with people of influence within the healthcare arena - from ministers and government departments to key officials from other healthcare agencies, as well senior figures from IHAS members’ own organisations. To find out more about access.

Membership of IHAS provides a route to parallel membership of the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS), as well as access to an independent adjudicator, in accordance with the Sector’s Code of Practice for Handling Patients’ Complaints. On behalf of ISCAS, IHAS facilitates and provides the secretariat for the third stage of the complaints procedure. To find out more about ISCAS.

More than 80 healthcare providers subscribe to IHAS, Scottish Independent Hospitals Association (SIHA) and Welsh Independent Healthcare Association (WIHA) altogether. To find out who, see our list of Members.

Members are entitled to display their membership IHAS logo and, if members also of ISCAS, the ISCAS logo. Both are well-perceived indications of quality patient care that members should be proud to display.

The IHAS website provides all the many and disparate enquirers to our website with easy access to Members via hyperlinks from the IHAS website.

Costs of Membership

Current subscriptions are set out on our Membership fees page.

To become a member of IHAS or to seek further information:

• Call 020 7379 8598

• Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.