Health secretary Jeremy Hunt will expand on his long term vision for the health service tonight at the second HSJ annual lecture.

He will set out details on new measures to stop “pointless” referrals from hospitals back to GPs, and unveil Ofsted style ratings for a range of clinical areas including cancer, dementia and mental health.

Mr Hunt set out the beginnings of a “25 year plan” for the NHS in July in which he painted a picture of a service relying less on targets and more on transparency.

The lecture, held in conjunction with advisory firm FTI Consulting, was launched last year to provide a high profile annual platform for a leading figure in healthcare to set out their long term vision for the UK’s health service.

HSJ editor Alastair McLellan said: “There are many examples of similar stages outside health policy, most famously the chancellor’s annual Mansion House speech. The NHS – the UK’s most highly respected institution and one of the defining characteristics of our nation – deserved equal treatment.”

The event takes place tonight in London before an invited audience of healthcare leaders. It will be filmed and broadcast on hsj.co.uk. The full text of the lecture will also be published on the site.

HSJ Live will provide full coverage of Mr Hunt’s lecture and the following Q&A from 5.30pm. On Twitter, use #HSJLecture to follow and react to the health secretary’s announcements.

The first lecture was given in December by NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens, who used his speech to launch the implementation phase of the Five Year Forward View. He also revealed NHS England’s “success regime”.