Tony Blair has admitted that it was a mistake to say that Labour should focus on "standards not structures" in public services.

Speaking on Tuesday, the prime minister said that public services across the country had "delivered results for all to see".

But speaking at a conference for public sector workers, he warned that expectations are continuing to rise.

"The key to understanding what we are trying to do in government on the public service programme is that we are trying to move from a situation where you have a monolithic, very paternalistic service in which the services are handed down to the customer or user of the services, and move to a far more personalised service where people feel that they have a far greater say in how the service is done and run."

He said that "the key thing is to keep the basic public service ethos" of providing a high-quality service regardless of ability to pay.

"It is not, however, providing a high-quality service irrespective of your wealth in the same way that has always been done."

Turning to the lessons of a decade in power, Blair spoke of one regret on public service reform.

"I said before we came to power that we had to focus on standards and not structures.

"And I think, truthfully, that standards and structures go together.

"If you want a higher standard for the individual user of a service, you also have the structure for organising that service in such a way that the person has some power over it."