A nurse has earned £15,000 for the hospital where she works after winning a top NHS award.
Clare Westwood, 32, of Sedgefield, was named Nurse of the Year in the outstanding achievement category of the NHS Health and Social Care Awards.
The prize of £15,000 to be spent on improving services for patients with bowel problems at Darlington Memorial Hospital, where Mrs Westwood helps to run a nurse practitioner service.
She said: "It was absolutely fantastic to win. There were so many other good projects that I was just amazed. The money will be used to develop a service for patients with benign bowel conditions.
"We also run a support group for bowel cancer patients and their carers and we are going to ask them what services they would like to see improved."
Mrs Westwood received her award at a ceremony last week in London's Docklands attended by Health Secretary John Reid and television presenter Carol Smilie.
The Memorial Hospital was also awarded £1,000 after Mrs Westwood won the regional final in the earlier stage of the contest.
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