By the end of this year all National Health Service organisations will be required to publish on the internet information on the performance of local health and social care services.
In a statement on July 14, Ms Gisela Stuart (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health) said that they would also be required to provide user-friendly information on accessing local general medical practitioners, pharmacies, dentists, opticians, social services and key voluntary services.
The Minister said: "An essential part of patient empowerment is helping people to understand more about their own health, the health care problems they may face and providing more information about how the NHS can help them to overcome them. For people to get the most out of their local NHS they have to know how and where to use it."
She added said that North Yorkshire (www.nyha.org.uk) and Dorset (www.dorset.swest.nhs.uk) were examples of health authorities which already provided good information.