University bosses said it will help the government to plan for medical care and vaccine supplies this winter.

Around 1,100 practices - covering a population of seven million patients - will send details to the database.

The system will automatically extract statistics from practices for the previous 24 hours every evening.

'Vital data'

The university has launched the initiative with EMIS, a leading provider of IT systems to GPs.

The team will provide statistics to the Health Protection Agency on flu and pneumonia cases, antiviral prescriptions, GP and nurse consultations, hospital admissions and deaths.

As part of the initiative, a facility will be provided for practices to identify high-risk patients who need flu vaccination, based on guidance from the Chief Medical Officer.

Dr Julia Hippisley-Cox, professor of general practice at the university, said: "We are very grateful to the GPs who have signed up to provide this vital data, and we would invite others to join them.

"We hope that the information will help individual practices and primary care trusts to plan resources for their patients, as well as helping the government to plan on a national scale."