HOSPITAL staff have picked up a double award for their pharmaceutical care.

The team from County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust won two awards at the Pharmaceutical Care Awards, organised by The Pharmaceutical Journal, and sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline and the Company Chemists' Association.

One of the awards was for the Merit project, aimed at reducing medication errors when patients transfer between care locations, and the other for improving the care of cancer patients experiencing severe weight loss.

As part of the project, the team developed a booklet for patients, which is updated every time they have an appointment.

In trials, this has reduced medication errors following hospital discharge from 72 per cent to two per cent and has also helped reduce hospital admissions.

As part of the project for improving care for cancer patients with weight loss, called anorexia cachexia, the team has put together a "toolkit" to guide clinicians in the care of patients.

The Durham Macmillan Cachexia pack will be launched at a national seminar at the end of the year.

Margaret Ledger-Scott, chief pharmacist at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, said: "These are the Oscars of the pharmacy world.

"We won two awards last year and two awards this year, which is unprecedented.

"We're delighted that this work has been recognised, but more so because we have done work which we believe will make a big difference to patients."