Ahead of a speech by the health and social care secretary at NHS Providers conference at which he will set out a series of 'tough' reforms for the NHS, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

"Trust leaders know the NHS needs to work differently and go further and faster to clear the backlog and ensure patients are seen as quickly as possible. This is their number one priority. They are pulling out all the stops to boost productivity while delivering tough efficiency measures.

"As Lord Darzi recognised this in his recent review, commissioned by the government, the scale of the challenge facing them is huge.

"It’s vital we take decisive action to tackle the deep-rooted causes of pressures on health services including the lack of resources for public health, prevention and social care, chronic workforce shortages, financial shortfalls and historic under-investment in the bricks and mortar of the NHS which underpin so many of the challenges we face today.

"Taking steps to resolve these root causes is critical before any plans to introduce league tables and threats to "sack failing managers" are even put on the table.

"Trust leaders are highly accountable, subject to rigorous standards and stand ready to tackle the challenges ahead, as they have always been. League tables bring with them significant risk of unintended consequences.

"It is welcome however, that the government is now ready to look at changes to obstructive capital spending rules so that trusts can tackle the near £14bn maintenance backlog, provide safe surroundings and boost NHS productivity.

"With the health and social care secretary due to address health leaders at our conference today, it’s vital the government looks again at how it can work constructively with leaders entrusted to see the NHS through one of the most challenging periods in its history so that together, patients get the timely access to care we all want to see."