NORWEB Telecom is supplying some of the technology behind a health care advice and information service for people in South Lakeland, Furness and north Lancashire.

NHS Direct offers a single contact number (0845-4647) offering immediate advice over the phone.

Norweb Telecom provided the high-capacity network needed locally to deliver the service.

Evan Davies, assistant director of NHS Direct, said: "This service depends on the telephone, so we have to be certain about the resilience of the network infrastructure.

Norweb Telecom offers a highly robust service and already supplies the network for many hospitals and NHS Trusts in the North West.

Calls made to the NHS Direct number in the North West are automatically directed to the regional headquarters in Preston.

Calls are either dealt with immediately, or routed to one of three linked sites in Blackburn, Kendal and Carlisle, staffed by trained nurses with detailed local knowledge.