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Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the healthcare sector, responded to report The NHS funding settlement: recovering lost ground 

“One of the greatest dangers we now face is unrealistic expectations. While everyone is rushing about trying to spend new money, the reality is that we have some really tough decisions ahead. We cannot do it all, and we need to admit that.

“The government’s extra funding and promise of longer term stability is really welcome, but falls short of the 4% a year independent experts say we need to deliver even modest improvements. And thus far, there is nothing for social care, nothing for public health, nothing extra for training the professionals who will deliver the care, and no news on the capital that is so badly needed.

"What is more, just pumping in more resources will not work. We need transformation money aimed at boosting care in the community that will prevent unnecessary hospital admissions – only that way have we got any hope of making the system sustainable. We need to move upstream, stop people falling in the river instead of fishing them out, often when it is too late.”