Over recent years funding has been increasing by record levels.

Since Labour came to power, it has more than doubled the NHS budget and by 2008 it will triple.

The 7.4%-a-year budget increases started after Tony Blair promised in 2000 to bring health spending as a proportion of GDP up to European levels.

At the time 6.8% of GDP was spent on health, compared with 8% across the continent.

The government is currently on target to hit 9% of GDP when the record increases come to an end in two years' time.

If spending reaches such a level, it would bring England closer to the top of the European health spending league dominated by the likes of Germany and France.

But critics have claimed the vast sums of money being ploughed in have also led to the health service becoming less productive.