The huge rise in NHS spending over the next few years will deliver faster and fairer care for patients, the government has pledged.

Ministers said the extra money will be used to cut hospital waiting times and reduce deaths from key diseases.

The pledge was made in a "public service agreement" published by the Department of Health.

Key pledges

Three month outpatient waits by 2005 Six month inpatient waits by 2005 Maximum two day wait for GP appointment by 2004 Maximum four hour A&E wait by 2004 Cut deaths from heart disease by 40% by 2010 Cut deaths from cancer by 20% by 2010

Every government department is to publish an agreement outlining what voters can expect from the government's planned increase in public spending.

Chancellor Gordon Brown announced the move in his spending review on Monday.

The Department of Health public service agreement repeats promises already made after April's Budget, when Mr Brown announced a record rise in NHS spending.

It also includes some pledges originally made in the NHS Plan in 2000.

Shorter waiting times

These include proposals to reduce waiting times for hospital outpatient appointments to three months and inpatient appointments to six months by 2005.

The agreement also repeats ministers' promise to reduce the maximum waits in A&E departments to four hours by 2004.

The Department of Health added that it would continue to work to reduce deaths from heart disease by 40% by 2010.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn said: "The new public service agreement describes the key improvements that the public can expect to see from the government's programme of extra resources back by far-reaching reform."

The agreement was published shortly after details of the government's spending review were announced.

The review focused primarily on education, since the government's spending plans for health had already been announced in April's Budget.

Under those plans, NHS spending will rise from �65.4bn in 2002 to �87.2bn in 2006. By 2008, spending will total �105.6bn.

The Liberal Democrats said the increase in funding should be accompanied by reforms.

Its health spokesman Dr Evan Harris said: "The government has set so many political targets that local organisations have no freedom to deliver real improvements for local people.

"Ministers must introduce real decentralisation to the NHS to bring management, patients and staff closer together."