COMMUNITY medics who have helped to reduce heart disease deaths in the Durham dales have been voted best in the country.

The lifesaving Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Prevention Team from the Durham Dales Primary Care Trust won two nationally-recognised awards under a scheme which rewards top quality health initiatives.

Out of 120 applications from across the country, the trust's CHD programme was recognised for the best overall team performance and for the best implementation of a National Service Framework in the Primary Care Report Best Practice Awards.

It was the first primary trust in County Durham and Darlington to employ specialist heart nurses working in CHD clinics in each of 12 GP practices. In addition, there is now a heart failure nurse.

All GP practices now have clinics to help people stop smoking and are supplied with defibrillators.

Heart attack patients are also offered home and out-patient rehabilitation programmes.

Heart nurse Caroline Levie said: "The number of people who die prematurely from heart disease in the Durham Dales is higher than the national average.

"We have been working hard over the past few years with GPs, practice nurses and local hospitals to try to reduce this."

Dr Stewart Findlay, chairman of the trust's professional executive committee, said: "We are delighted that the hard work carried out by our CHD nurses, GPs and practice nurses over the past few years has been recognised.

"The innovative work carried out by the heart disease team will have an important impact on the quality of life for local people at risk from heart disease."

Tow years ago, The Northern Echo launched its A Chance to Live campaign following the death of staff photographer Ian Weir, who was waiting for a heart bypass operation.

He was one of 14,000 people who die from heart disease in the North-East region every year.

Read more about the Chance to Live campaign here.