ACCIDENT and emergency nurses at two South Durham hospitals have received an award for their outstanding work with patients.

The team split between the departments at Darlington Memorial Hospital and Bishop Auckland General Hospital have received the 2002 chairman's quality improvement award for innovation and initiative.

They were involved in reviewing and improving the care of patients with minor neck injuries.

Their recommendations led to the accident and emergency departments ceasing to use soft collars for patients with minor neck injures. Instead nurses spend more time with patients advising them on exercise regimes.

The winning team meets monthly to look at ways of improving care in line with best practice and research. This includes collecting information from other casualty departments, talking to patients and working with other health professionals.

Angela Ballatti, chairwoman of the County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust, said: "The standard of the entries this year was high, but what particularly impressed the judges about this project was that it was instigated by the team themselves. They recognised a need for review and with no additional resources, but with bags of energy and enthusiasm, were able to successfully bring about changes that have greatly benefited their patients."

The team was given £1,000 to develop services within their department.

Second equal were the joint assessment team for improved care of people with hip and knee problems and a team involved in a national initiative to improve treatment for patients with broken hips. Each team received £600.