Nurses, doctors and teachers are expected to be given above-inflation pay rises when the annual public sector pay settlement is announced on Monday.

It is thought ministers have accepted the independent pay review bodies' recommended "inflation-busting" rises for the 1m workers in the sector.

NHS staff including nurses, midwives and physiotherapists are expected to be offered 3.3% extra from April, with some staff getting more. Doctors are expected to get slightly more than 3%.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Tony Blair signalled that nurses at the top of their profession would receive bigger increases of about 3.6%, or £1,000 a year.

It is thought this is to iron out anomalies in the pay scale, after newly-qualified nurses received a 12% boost last year.

Staff such as ambulance workers and porters, who are not covered by the pay review bodies, are expected to be offered a similar 3.3% as part of a three-year deal.

Teachers in England and Wales will receive between 3% and 3.5%.

Staff who opt to join the new performance-related higher pay scale will be in line for another rise from September, said by ministers to be worth up to £2,000.

A rise of 3% would be worth about £695 to the bulk of teachers, who are on the top of the main classroom teachers' pay scale.

Inflation is currently running at 2.2%, and the government target is 2.5%.

Ministers are hoping the rises will help solve recruitment problems - particularly in the NHS, which has come under mounting criticism for struggling to cope with demand.

But doctors have previously called for rises of at least 5% to stave off a recruitment crisis in the NHS.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Tony Blair admitted the service was underfunded, but promised more money and modernisation over the next few years.

However, the pay rises have already caused controversy because they will come not from new money, but from cash already allocated to health and education authorities.

Graham Lane, education chairman of the Local Government Association, has said: "We haven't got the money.

"Anything above 2.5% means bigger classes, because schools won't be able to afford to take on teachers to meet rising pupil numbers."

The NHS Confederation, which represents health authorites, said it would be able to afford pay rises of up to 3.5% - but only just.