Hexham General Hospital services win awards

There was also a runner-up prize for its complex needs team, which works with children and young people with mental health issues. It was competing in the mental health wellbeing award.

Jim Mackey, the Trust's chief executive, said: "We are absolutely delighted to win three awards. All of the teams have worked extremely hard and this is well-deserved recognition for them.

"Our awards success demonstrates the excellent work the trust is doing throughout Northumberland."

The two stokes services have been particularly welcomed.

A redesign of the service relocated rehabilitation beds to a single combined 27-bed stroke unit at Wansbeck's Ward Nine, allowing faster transfer of people with a suspected stroke to a specialist unit.

The award for Stroke Northumbria - which aims to provide integrated health and social care services for people who have suffered strokes - was given in recognition the service's success over the last 10 years.

Dr Stuart Huntley, the trust's consultant head of stroke service, said: "I'm delighted to win these awards as it's further recognition of the excellent teamwork going on in the Stroke Northumbria Network.

"The Innovative Acute Care Award was well deserved, as two previously separate clinical teams combined to provide care, despite the obvious challenges they faced."

Reacting to the award for the fast-track joint replacement scheme, consultant Mike Reed said: "We are delighted that our fast-track surgery has won this award and it is a credit to the whole team who have worked extremely hard to make this a success.

"Staff had to completely change their working hours to fit around this type of surgery, so that the patient gets the maximum benefit from the surgery."

The regional award scheme is run in partnership between strategic health authorities, the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and the Department of Health.

The winners now go forward to the national finals which will be announced by the Secretary of State for Health Alan Johnson at a ceremony in London on July 8.