Big news for the NHS that Sir Simon Stevens is stepping down. A thread...

When we recruited for a successor to Sir David Nicholson in 2013, there was a good deal of trepidation about the role following controversy over the 2012 Act. Simon, however, was the standout candidate and hiring him remains one of the best decisions I have ever taken.

Despite his time as a special adviser in No 10 and in the private sector in the US, SImon has always been NHS to his core. But neither he nor I knew just how bumpy things would become with immense operational and financial pressures across the NHS and social care system.

We had a symbiotic relationship: he gave the NHS confidence they had one of their own at the top and I made sure its voice was heard loud and clear in government circles. That partnership ultimately meant a successful negotiation for a 10 year plan & £20 bn budget uplift in 2018

Simon is a formidable operator, taking more trouble to be briefed on key facts ahead of meetings with ministers or the PM than anyone else I met. He has the rare quality of being able to stay silent in meetings unless he has something important to say, a rare quality in Whitehall

But his skills as an operator should not be allowed to conceal his deeply-held passion and support for everything the NHS stands for. He will be remembered for giving the world's 5th largest organisation strategic direction at a time of great challenge.

The progress that will now be made changing the primary model of care towards integrated care will not become clear for a while, not least because it depends on new legislation we expect shortly - but it will none the less be enormous.

However the immediate dividend from his leadership has been the superb NHS response to the pandemic: every patient that needed a ventilator or ICU bed got one and we have rolled out the best vaccination programme in Europe. He should feel extremely proud today.