Increasing visibility and mentoring supports women leaders in healthcare

Membership network, Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), marked International Women's Day (IWD) 2026 by reflecting on its role and achievements in helping create a supportive and empowering environment for both current and future women leaders in independent healthcare.

Chair of IHPN’s Women Leaders Network (WLN) and Group Director of Service Development at Acacium Group, Alex Ryan, said: "The Give to Gain ethos behind this year’s International Women’s Day makes clear that whether through donations, knowledge, resources, infrastructure, visibility, advocacy, education, training, mentoring, or time, contributing to women’s advancement helps create a more supportive and interconnected world.”

The WLN has focused particularly on two key areas:

• giving a platform to, and increasing the visibility of, women leaders across the independent healthcare sector and beyond
   
• introducing its mentoring program to help support and foster the professional growth of women working in the sector

As part of IHPN’s Women Leaders Network’s endeavours to support and empower women in the sector and help foster the professional growth of women leaders of both today and the future, its mentoring scheme for women working in independent healthcare scheme aims to help connect mentors working in a variety of roles in the sector with those who are looking for some guidance and support in taking their career to the next stage, and helps nurture the next generation of women leaders in independent healthcare.

"Mentoring is a true embodiment of the Give to Gain mantra – not only benefitting the mentee with support and guidance from someone who’s been there, done that, but is something that can also be hugely rewarding role for the mentor themselves," explained Alex Ryan. "This International Women’s Day, we are asking you as members to think about how you can play your part and Give to Gain whether through donations, knowledge, resources, infrastructure, visibility, advocacy, education, training, mentoring, or time, and support the advancement of women in your organisations."

Research consistently shows that mentoring is a vital way to help women boost and further their careers.

Read more about IHPN’s Women Leaders Network’s impressive Mentoring Scheme here.

Helping forge a thriving independent healthcare sector delivering outstanding care for patients

IHPN supports independent healthcare providers and brings together providers from across the sector.

It champions high-quality patient care and works with governments and the NHS. It partners to help the independent sector make a positive contribution to healthcare.