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Its report claims that opponents of reform are ‘out of touch’ with the public who would like to see the pace of change increased.  

A survey of more than 2,500 people, upon which the report is based, found that more than half supported the government’s decision to invite private companies to provide GP services in areas where there is a shortage of GPs, while only 30 per cent opposed it.  

The report says that the findings should inform how to deal with the aftermath of reform.  

‘The government should plan for the wider consequences of the reform programme,’ it says.  

‘While the best hospitals and GP services will still attract sufficient patient numbers, some will not. When services do fail, public providers should not rely on a continuous flow of taxpayers’ money to support them.’  

The survey also found support for patient surveys to gauge satisfaction with services.  

Looking into how people would like to be involved in deciding how local services are delivered, the most popular device was consumer satisfaction surveys, favoured by 52 per cent of people.  

Thirty per cent wanted to join local consultation panels and 22 per cent wanted more public meetings. Only 16 per cent did not want to be involved at all in the decision-making process.  

Richard Lambert, CBI director-general, said: ‘This poll proves that attempts to derail public service reform misjudge the public mood. People want more reform to bring services up to the levels they rightly expect.  

‘The private and voluntary sectors will be central to delivering efficient public services, and the public is relaxed about private companies delivering public services that are of good quality and remain free at point of use.’