Responding to NHS England’s Five Year Forward View, Dr Tim Moorhead, local GP and Chair of NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group said:

“This important report makes clear that the NHS has dramatically improved over the last 15 years but that it must now meet the needs of an ageing population with an increase in complex health needs all set against the backdrop of efficiency savings. 

 “In the report Simon Stevens mentions the importance of the NHS developing new partnerships with local communities, local authorities and employers and specifically mentions joint commissioning. At Sheffield CCG we believe that we already have good relationships with our partners and are working towards joining up Sheffield’s health and social care with the creation of the single biggest joint budget in the country. The £278 million ‘Better Care Fund’ will be introduced next financial year and we believe that by introducing this we can ensure service users have a better, more joined up experience of health and social care support. Through working together we will also be able to find better ways of meeting increasing demand for care with less resources.

“We particularly welcome Simon Stevens’ view that local clinicians and managers must work with the public and patients so that we can continue to improve the care we provide.”

You can read Simon Stevens' 'Five Year Forward Review' full report here.