PEOPLE up and down the country are a fingertip away from vital health information -- following a new initiative piloted in Preston and South Ribble.

The highly successful NHS Direct telephone helpline has been extended nationwide, enabling the public to receive advice from a qualified nurse.

The pilot scheme in Preston, South Ribble and Chorley has grown dramatically and quickly.

Initially 325,000 people in the three areas were able to access the service.

Now more than three million people in the North West can contact the call centre at ambulance headquarters in Broughton, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, either for information concerning health matters or, if necessary, to discuss their problems with a nurse.

David Hill, chief executive of Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, the lead provider of the service locally, said: "I am very proud to have been associated with the development of this innovative service. "The Government quickly recognised the potential of the scheme and decided to expand the service to the whole country.

"Our own pilot scheme has now grown tenfold since those early days and now covers the whole of Lancashire, Cumbria and North Merseyside, bringing the service to over three million people.

"It is very reassuring to get good feedback from those who have used the service which is a key feature of modernising the health service."

Jill Stringer, director of NHS Direct, Lancashire, and also the Department of Health's nurse adviser nationally on the helpline, said: "I am sure that patients appreciate the service, and its popularity will grow as its role continues to expand in implementing the NHS plan."

People can now dial the help line on 0845 4647 from anywhere in the country.