Doctors in Airedale are pioneering a high-tech system which will provide quicker access to patients' information in an emergency.

The Bradford Electronic Record Development and Implementation Project (ERDIP) aims to improve care by ensuring a patient's medical history is available when out of hours or emergency treatment is required.

This will involve sending records via a computer link so that an out-of-hours GP or doctor in an accident and emergency department can quickly access important details about the patient he or she is treating.

At the moment a doctor obtains information by asking the patient a number of questions about their medical background.

One vital element of the trial initiative, which begins in June, is that all patients will be asked for their consent before any records are sent between computer screens.

In a recent survey carried out by Bradford Speak Out, nearly three quarters of the people -- 72 per cent -- said doctors should have access to their GP records all of the time.

In Airedale, the emergency health records will be available to the out-of-hours Worth and Aire General Practitioner Emergency Centre (WAGPEC), based in Airedale Hospital, the casualty department at Airedale and NHS Direct, the telephone help line service.

Dr John Parry, the IT leader for Airedale Primary Care Trust, is chairman of Bradford Health Authority's ERDIP group, which has been developing the pilot scheme for the last two and a half years.

He said: "The idea is to make the information available to the proper people so a GP, consultant or senior clinician has access to the correct records of a patient.

"Rather than sending information, we are sending access to information, which is an important distinction to make.

"People will be asked for their permission before their medical history is sent and under data protection principles they have a right to decline if they wish.

"If people don't give their permission, or later change their mind, they will still be treated in the same way as those who participate, although doctors and nurses may have less information to help them. The emergency health record is kept securely on a computer, with only certain people given passwords for the system.

"A patient's own GP is informed every time an emergency health record is looked at, and who looked at it. Everyone dealing with emergency health records in this test has a duty to keep details private and confidential, as everyone in the NHS has."

Dr Parry said that trials with the diabetes unit at Airedale Hospital had a positive response from patients and doctors, who found the service useful.

He added that the system would, hopefully, encourage the flow of useful information between local health providers.

Palliative care teams at Manorlands hospice, in Oxenhope, will also be moving on to the system so they can best attend to the complex needs of their patients.