More than 2,000 GP practices are using software that can transfer patient records automatically, and 25,000 such transmissions have been made so far.

The GP2GP project, which is part of the £12bn National Programme for NHS IT, was running behind schedule due to interoperability issues between surgery systems from different suppliers.

But since July, 15,000 electronic transfers have been made, obviating the need for paper records to be sent in the post when a patient moves to a new area.

Dr Agnelo Fernandes, a GP in Croydon PCT, said: "This is a major advance on the paper-based process. GP2GP has been a very successful initiative so far, both in terms of the benefits it's delivering and in terms of the technical solution working consistently well.

"It is very refreshing to have medical information available for patients when they present for the first time."