CLIPBOARDS dangling at the end of a patient's bed have become a thing of the past at one of the UK's leading cardiac units.

State-of-the-art computer technology at the Wessex Cardiac Unit in Southampton General Hospital is enabling consultants to instantly access patient records wherever they are in the ward.

The development, which has seen 15 tablet-style PCs being used on the paediatric cardiac wards, has been made possible by Wessex Heartbeat, the charity that supports the cardiac unit and their relationship with computer company Hewlett Packard.

Paediatric ward associate specialist Dr Elspeth Brown believes the estimated £30,000 of equipment has made a great difference to the way in which medical staff work

"If a parent rings us up to find out about their son or daughter, we can look the patient up instantly rather than going through paperwork," said Dr Brown.

"It also improves patient care by maintaining continuity because you instantly know what the previous consultant thought."

Receivers placed at strategic points around the cardiac unit allow consultants to roam freely and call up a patient's records wherever they are. But stray outside the unit and the tablets are unable to pick up a signal.

Upon returning to their office, consultants can clip the A4-sized tablet touch screens on to a keyboard. No other wards within the hospital currently use the technology although the government has declared its intention for the NHS to eventually become a paperless environment.

Heartbeat's fundraising manager Pete Wickham thanked Hewlett Packard for their "incredible generosity".

He said: "This has been made possible because of our great relationship with Hewlett Packard - they hold gold membership with Wessex Heartbeat."