Doctors get electronic appointment system

Health Minister Baroness Jay announced a £5m pilot project this week that will let GPs set hospital appointments directly from their surgeries.

The computerised booking system will dramatically speed up the time it takes to make a hospital appointment, which can now take in excess of two weeks. GPs let the hospital know an appointment is needed, then the hospital issues the patient a time and date.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "This will be much quicker, but also more effective. If a patient has a problem with that date, they can change the date at that point."

The scheme will fund three booked admission projects for each of the eight regional health authorities. Each project will receive between £100,000 and £300,000 in "pump-priming" money.

"Bids will be coming in by late summer and the projects will kick off by the end of the year," added the spokesman. There will be six-monthly and yearly reviews to decide if the pilot scheme should be extended.

The money is part of the £500m for the NHS announced in the Chancellor's 17 March budget.