Nigel Edwards the acting chief executive of the NHS Confederation said: "The NHS Confederation has taken every opportunity to engage with the current health reforms and we will continue to do so. The Coalition Government has signalled that it will use the next few months to ask for views on the best way for the reforms to proceed and we will work hard to put forward the views of the full range of organisations that make up the modern NHS.

“Our members support the Government’s objectives on empowering patients and involving clinicians more closely in decision-making, but have concerns about whether the proposed reforms represent the best way to achieve these objectives.

"Our concerns are about the pace and detail of the reform package. We have called for a multi-speed approach to the launching of GP consortia, with those that are ready to go being allowed to get started and those that need more time and support to be given it, and there are already indications that the Government has listened on this issue

"We feel attention needs to be given to the way competition works in the NHS and clarity provided on how the strengths of the private sector can be incorporated into the wider system. We are also concerned about the risks of fragmentation and the dangers of driving specialists and GPs further apart - this is not what patients need.

"There also needs to be work on how GP consortia are held accountable and an understanding that there are real risks involved in the transition to this new system.

"We have also called for its a better narrative about these reforms.  Hopefully today represents the start of that a needed process of dialogue and communication with professionals, patients and the public.”