NHS patients on long waiting lists are to be given the legal right to private treatment under plans laid out by the Government.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Health Secretary Andy Burnham will set out proposals on Tuesday to give patients rights to quick NHS treatment, the right to die at home and the right to NHS dentistry.
Patients will be legally entitled to treatment within 18 weeks of referral by their GP and to be seen by a specialist within two weeks if they have suspected cancer.
If the NHS cannot treat patients quickly enough then staff will have to offer alternatives, including treatment at private hospitals.
The rights, which would come into force in April next year, will be set down in the NHS Constitution.
The Government believes they will empower patients and cut down on the postcode lottery which sees patients in some parts of the country treated more quickly than others.
The plans are also a direct challenge to the Tories, who have promised to phase out NHS targets, including those for waiting times. The Conservatives want to focus on measuring outcomes for patients.
Under the Government plans, everyone between 40 and 74 will have a legal right to a five-yearly NHS Health Check from 2012 to assess their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.
Mr Burnham said: "Waiting times are the shortest they have ever been but I want to build on this and give patients a legal right to maximum waiting times. Turning targets into legal rights will empower patients and guarantee them the same high standards of care, regardless of where they live."
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb welcomed the proposals overall, but warned: "The Government's announcement has a gaping hole in it for those who still aren't covered by the current target regime, such as mental health patients."
