Health and social care secretary Victoria Atkins has set out her priorities to make the health and social care system faster, simpler and fairer for patients.

Atkins thanked health, social care and research staff for delivering on patients’ priorities, during a week where more than 50,000 additional nurses and 50 million more GP appointments were delivered and rolled-out HIV opt-out testing to 46 areas across England.

Atkins, said: "Since joining the department, I have been bowled over by the way health and social care staff just keep on delivering for patients. The important milestones we’ve reached this week - reaching 50,000 additional nurses and 50 million more GP appointments - demonstrate real progress.

"I have spent the past few weeks meeting doctors, nurses, GPs, pharmacists and other health workers and heard wonderful stories about how they have gone above and beyond to deliver outstanding care for patients and cut waiting lists.

"But I have also heard about their frustrations and where they feel they are not able to deliver the best possible care or where prevention or early intervention could have made a real difference. That is why I am committed to making health and social care services faster, simpler and fairer."

The health secretary  has committed to making health and social care services faster for patients, by making it easier to get treatment locally, improving A&E performance and cutting waiting lists; and simpler for patients, with joined up, integrated care, and simpler for staff, by reducing bureaucracy and giving them the latest technology to free up their time to care for patients. She also committed to making it fairer, ensuring children are protected from health harms, that health outcomes are not determined by where you live, that government supports older people to maintain their independence for longer, and that government delivers a more productive NHS that is fairer for taxpayers.

Atkins continued: "We face a difficult winter ahead. And though our early winter planning is seeing some results we know there is much more to do. But having seen what our excellent staff can do I am confident that with the government’s support we can continue to deliver for patients over the coming months."