A NURSE who has helped transform mental health services for inmates at one of the country's toughest prisons has been praised at a national event.

Trish Hodgson, from Spennymoor, County Durham, has spent the past four years working at Frankland Prison, in Durham, which houses hundreds of high-security prisoners.

She has set up personalised services to help prisoners with anxiety, depression, long-term mental illness and severe personality disorders. One aim was to reduce suicide and self-harm.

Yesterday, she was commended for her work at the Nursing Standard annual awards.

She was up against competition from hundreds of UK nurses.

In recent years, the Government has invested large sums in mental health services for prisons.

Mrs Hodgson said: "I think the additional investment by my employer, Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trust, has made a really big difference to patients with mental health problems incarcerated in jails.

"It has been a real challenge working in prisons. It is tough and it can be exhausting, but it can be very rewarding when a prisoner thanks you, gets you a Christmas card or even buys you a box of chocolates."

She said one of the hardest tasks was winning prisoners' trust.