Only a handful of NHS patients in central Hampshire say they don't want their medical details put on a computerised system.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Health Authority is piloting the switch from paper to electronic records.

At a public board meeting of Mid-Hampshire Primary Care Trust on Tuesday, Chris Evernett, project manager, said the Integrated Care Record Systems was "a move away from institution-based to patient-centred records."

Patient consent was necessary because of privacy issues.

There are 225,000 patients in the Winchester and Eastleigh area and a leaflet drop to 80,000 households, resulted in only five people asking for their medical details to be omitted.

Eight wanted to see the system before making a decision.

Mr Evernett said the new "joined-up" system linked computer records held by hospitals, GPs, NHS Direct, social services and the ambulance service.

It also gave patients an opportunity to add personal details such as living wills and the contact details of carers.

The computer system is scheduled to be up and running by 2003.

Patients will be able to see their own records on terminals in GP waiting rooms.

Speaking after the meeting at Winchester Guildhall, Mr Evernett said the next stage was to demonstrate how ICRS could improve patient care.

"It is aimed at those involved in emergency care and out-of-hours care, including social workers and NHS Direct."

But he added that it could also be used for analysis of the "complete care pathway", for example, outcomes of 999 calls and post-operative complications.

Mr Evernett said the information would be available on a "need to know" basis: GPs would have full access to the records while others such as receptionists would not. The health authority is one of only five developing the second phase of the project at a cost of £750,000-the funding comes from central government.

Three GP surgeries involved in the pilot project are the Watercress Medical Group at Ropley and Four Marks; Charlton Hill, Andover, and Stoke Wood, north of Eastleigh.