Who we are

We are the only body to bring together and speak on behalf of the whole of the NHS.

We have offices in England, Wales (the Welsh NHS Confederation) and Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Confederation for Health and Social Care) and provide a subscription service for NHS organisations in Scotland.

Our starting point

We believe in a national health service that is available to all and is based on clinical need not an individual’s ability to pay. We also believe that the NHS can continually improve the care it delivers for patients and the public.

What we do

We help the NHS to guarantee high standards of care for patients and best value for taxpayers by representing our members and working closely together with our health and social care partners.

How we do it

We make sense of the whole health system, influence health policy and deliver industry-wide support functions for the NHS.

All of our work is underpinned by our core values:

• listening and responding to the needs of our members
• working in partnership to create dialogue and build consensus
• acting in the interests of patients and the public.

Who we represent

We represent all organisations that commission and provide NHS services.

Our members include acute trusts, ambulance trusts, community health service providers, foundation trusts, mental health providers, primary care trusts and clinical commissioning groups, and a growing number of independent and voluntary sector healthcare organisations that deliver services within the NHS. 

We represent the NHS as a whole and also have a number of networks to support our members in areas of specific concern to their part of the healthcare system.

Who we work with

We work in partnership with a wide range of organisations that represent health professionals, patients, their families and carers. We also work with NHS supply chain organisations, local government and partners from across the wider health and social care industry.