NHS reforms update: NHS Future Forum to continue consulting on health service shake-up, Lansley says

Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, has asked the NHS Future Forum to begin a new phase of consultation with patients, service users and healthcare professionals to ensure widespread engagement in the ongoing NHS modernisation bid.

Led by Professor Steve Field, a practicing GP at the Bellevue Medical Centre in Birmingham and forum chairman, the group will provide independent advice on four major themes:

• How to use information to improve health, care and wellbeing
• How to develop the healthcare workforce to deliver world-class healthcare
• How to ensure the modernisation programme leads to better integration of services built around people's needs
• How to ensure the public's health remains at the heart of the NHS

Lansley said: "The work of the NHS Future Forum to date has been invaluable in helping shape our plans for improving the health service. It gave us the opportunity to address head on the concerns people had, helping to make the NHS more modern, dynamic and innovative. Following its report, I accepted all the core recommendations on issues like competition and local commissioning and I am delighted that the forum will continue its excellent work looking at important issues such as education and training and ensuring we work towards an improved healthcare system.

Dr Field added: "If we want the health and care system to change and meet the challenges of the future, then it is essential we make sure that the thoughts and concerns of clinicians and, more importantly, patients and service users, are listened to.

"With a broader membership across health and social care and a defined focus, I believe the forum will stimulate important debate on issues that really matter to people."

The forum will report back to ministers later this year.