HARD-working hospital staff have been told they are simply the best by an NHS trust chief.

An awards ceremony organised by Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust attracted 150 individual and team entries across 14 award categories - each nominated by colleagues, patients and carers.

The trust's pharmacy advice and support team, based at St Luke's Hospital, in Middlesbrough, won two awards - the governance category and the overall Chair's Award.

Other winners and runners up included the occupational therapy allotment group based at East Cleveland Hospital, Brotton, St Christopher's Ward nursing team, Stead Memorial Hospital, Redcar, and the Tees Bay nursing team at St Luke's Hospital, Middlesbrough.

A "sleep team" working at the Newlands mental health resource centre, Redcar, won an award for innovation, while colleagues at the same centre received an accolade for staff development.

Wilma Carter, occupational therapy assistant at the Whitecliffe Centre, East Cleveland and Carmel Rutter, staff nurse, St Christopher's ward, Stead Memorial Hospital, Redcar, were nominated as unsung heroines.

The On Track Team based at Portland House, Redcar, received an award for innovation.

Lawrence Butterfield, senior nurse at the Ashwood community mental health centre, Guisborough, was presented with a prize for tackling inequalities - as was Marlene Morley, deputy manager of the On Track team.

An award for clinical excellence went to the child and adolescent eating disorders team at the Newberry Centre, West Lane, Middlesbrough.

Investing in children, a project led by the child and adolescent mental health service on Teesside, received a prize for user involvement.

Other winners included Denise Jennings, prison mental health manager, Clifton House, Thornaby, for sharing best practice; Mandy Conlon, sector manager, Clifton House, Thornaby, for staff and personal development; Eugene Carr, ward manager, Stephenson Centre, at the University Hospital of North Tees, Stockton, for personal development.