Champion Health Worker.

EILEEN MIDDLETON -Winner SINCE taking over as manager of Zoe's Place, Eileen Middleton has proved a constant support to staff and parents at the baby hospice.

They include Paul and Becky Summers from Great Ayton whose 12-month-old son Harry has Down's Syndrome.

The couple are among the parents who nominated Eileen for a Community Champion award.

Becky, 39, said: "Nothing could prepare us for the first year of our son's life when complex medical needs developed in addition to his special needs.

"But meeting Eileen, after finally leaving hospital, meant that the full responsibility of his medical care was eased for here was someone who knew what we were going through and who frequently and perceptively anticipated our needs before we did.

"Since those early days, Harry has become a part of the Zoe's family and Eileen has never failed in being there for our family when we have needed extra support."

Sarah White from Ingleby Barwick also nominated Eileen for the Champion Health Worker award. Her four-year-old daughter Lucy has complex palliative heart disease. Sarah, 32, said: "In Lucy's short life we have met hundreds of health professionals and I can honestly say I have never known anyone as kind and helpful as Eileen."

Support worker Teresa McAndrew said Eileen is a pleasure to work with.

"People think that hospices are sad places but Eileen shows them that the children have lots of fun during their stay," she said. Eileen, 62, who lives in Thornaby, has been nursing manager at Zoe's Place for the past three years.

She said: "It's an honour that these families trust us to look after their children. I always say we will never be as good as the parents but we are just a little bit behind."

Dr KEVIN HALL -Runner-up STOCKTON GP Kevin Hall is a doctor in a million to his grateful patients.

Dr Hall, 51, of Grisedale Crescent, Egglescliffe, has worked at Queen's Park Medical Centre at Tenant Street, Stockton, for 22 years.

He says he loves his job and wouldn't work anywhere else. He was nominated in the Gazette Community Champions health worker category by patient Suzanne Newton, 30, of Nightingale Drive, Stockton. Mum-of-two Suzanne said: "Dr Hall is absolutely the best doctor in the world. One in a million! "He goes way beyond what is expected of him.

"There have been many occasions when I have rung his surgery to make an appointment for me or one of my children and then during his lunchtime or out of surgery hours he's arrived at our home to save us coming out. "He is absolutely amazing. He has phoned us to check on us if he knows one of us is not well. He is the most caring and compassionate man ever. "I would love to see him recognised for his hard work and continued support on behalf of all his patients. I could go on forever telling you brilliant things about him!" Suzanne is married to Robert, 27, and has children Cameron, nine and Elise, five.

Dr Hall, who has a wife Lesley and daughter Emily, 20, who is studying biomedicine, genetics and physiology at Newcastle University, said: "I'm extremely surprised to be nominated. "I just tend to get my head down and beaver away in the background. "I like to practice good old-fashioned family medicine and run my own list of patients.

"I've been seeing many of my patients for many years and am now getting second generations of the family attending. They know me and I know them and their needs."

TRACEY RYDER -Runner-up TRACEY Ryder works tirelessly to support bereaved families and those whose loved ones are fighting for their lives.

The 47-year-old leader of the bereavement and relative liaison team in intensive care at James Cook University Hospital was nominated by her colleagues for the Champion Health Worker award.

She said: "I've been personally bereaved in my own life, and in my husband's family, and knowing how difficult it has been dealing with my own bereavement has given me the impetus to support people as best I can. It is mentally and emotionally draining but it can be very rewarding."

Tracey knows only too well how difficult it is to lose a close relative. She said: "My mum, Jean, died very suddenly when I was only 19. She was only 43. It was very unexpected and left a huge void. She was very proud of me being a nurse but when she died it was really difficult and I considered giving up nursing because I didn't know whether I'd be able to deal with other people's bereavement.

"But my dad, Kevin McGoldrick and my then fianc, now husband, James said to me, 'she was so proud of you being a nurse that it's really important that you do carry on.' "When I did qualify, it was really hard that she wasn't there to see it."

Tracey is also a trust nurse specialist in organ donation, raising awareness publicly. Steve Bonner, clinical director of the ITU, credits Tracey with doubling the number of often lifesaving transplants for the local population.

On hearing she had made the final three shortlist, Tracey said: "I am absolutely overwhelmed! I must say though it's teamwork."