A £4.65 million building to store computer equipment and software has been unveiled at Southmead Hospital.

The data centre is the first new building to open on the site of Bristol's superhospital.

North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) moved its servers to the purpose-built two-storey block ready for work to start on the £430 million redevelopment.

There are about 200 different computer systems inside the data centre, which will help the new hospital to be at the forefront of technology when it opens in four years' time.

Previously, NBT had two computer rooms, one at Frenchay and another at Southmead. But the Southmead facility was in the middle of the area proposed for the redevelopment of the hospital and had to be moved.

The large old servers for patient records have been moved into the data centre. Equipment in the data centre is attached to enough cable to stretch to Taunton and back and viewing spaces in the floor enable staff to check up on the wiring.

The new computer suite is more energy efficient, creating just under 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year rather than the 500 tonnes created powering the trust's previous system.

NBT is one of the first hospital trusts in the country to commission its own bespoke site to house computer software. The 10,000 sq ft block in a former car park near the Southmead Road entrance was built using money made available as part of the works that have to be carried out ahead of the main private finance initiative (PFI) building works.

It is also a base for NBT's IT staff.

Martin Bell, the trust's director of information management and technology, said: "In 2013 when a world-class facility opens in Bristol with the new PFI Southmead Hospital, that building needs to be providing state of the art clinical care. The only way we can do that is if there is state of the art technology to support it.

"This is a very important step."

Mr Bell said that the technology in the new hospital will enable healthcare staff to access patient records electronically and even look at X-rays and the results of tests at their bedside.

The planning application for the new Southmead Hospital will be heard at a meeting in the Council House tonight.

A planning officer has recommended the project for approval.