NHS officials will be able to check the health of Darlington's population at the press of a button thanks to a computer system being pioneered in the town.

Darlington Primary Care Trust has agreed to become a pilot site for a computer system that will allow it to judge how it is performing against local and national targets.

Officials will be able to call up statistics such as the percentage of women in the town who have been screened for breast cancer and how many people have given up smoking in the past year.

It will also show the extent of waiting times and waiting lists for patients in the area.

The computer system automatically shows where results are lagging behind the national standards allowing the trust to take quick action.