Thousands of patients in Brighton and Hove will have their medical details put onto a national computer system later this year.

The city is the first area in Sussex and one of the first in the South East to link up with the new database being developed around the country.

The first group of patients to have their records updated in December will be from St Peter's Medical Centre in Oxford Street and the Matlock Road Surgery in Brighton.

The national records system has caused controversy with campaigners worried about having confidential details of patients made more widely available to GPs, A&E doctors, walk in centres and other parts of the NHS.

However health bosses insist the system is secure and say having patient details more accessible for NHS staff will make sure people get the best treatment more quickly.

Under the new system, any NHS organisation in the country has the potential to access a patient's records, meaning medics can get instant details of any long term health problems, allergies and their medical history.

The record can only be accessed by staff directly involved in a patient's treatment.

People can choose not to be a part of the scheme if they are not happy and those who do so will carry on having their details recorded on paper.

Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust director Terry Needle said: “I am pleased that local people are going to be among the first in the country to benefit from summary care records. “Ensuring the people treating you have essential information about you will mean better, safer care.”

City GP Grant Kelly said: “This will be good news for anybody contacting a GP outside of normal surgery hours, anybody using a walk in centre, anybody visiting A&E – and it could be life saving.

“If you are unconscious or confused or unable to remember the names and quantities of all your medicines or allergies, clinicians will be able to find this vital information instead of it being held only in your GP surgery.”

Paul Evans, from the Brighton-based NHS Support Federation, said: “With the amount of different ways people can get access to healthcare, having a system where their records are accessible is a good thing.

“But it is understandable that people may be a little wary about having that information out there.”

A spokesman for the Patient Action Group, which lobbies on behalf of patients, said: “We have heard a number of concerns form people about the security of the system and whether people from outside the NHS will be able to hack into it.

“We are sure every effort will be made to make sure it is secure but it is something we will be keeping a close eye on.”