NHS staff in Bradford have been voted some of the best in the country and have received personal praise from the Prime Minister.

The North Bradford Primary Care Trust, which runs GP surgeries and non-hospital services, was presented with the Prime Minister's award for excellence at a ceremony in London last night.

The trust scooped two awards in the Health Service Journal's annual awards: the Prime Minister's award for excellence in healthcare management and the Primary Care award for its Primary Care Performance Improvement Scheme. The trust's chief executive Dr Ian Rutter was presented with the Prime Minister's award by Health Secretary John Reid.

North Bradford beat 13 category winners to take the award and was shortlisted in three categories out of 820 entries from across the NHS.

Tony Blair said he was pleased to present the award to North Bradford, which had shown how good leadership and clinical skills could improve care: "It is an example many others in the NHS will doubtless want to emulate."

Health Service Journal editor Alastair McLellan said North Brad-ford's record was remarkable. "It has achieved access to GPs within 24 hours and flu jab take-up of 70 per cent. Attendance figures at hospital accident and emergency departments are down considerably - this has been done with considerable patient involvement."

The trust's Consumer Council was runner-up in the Primary Care category and the trust was a runner-up in the Lifelong Learning section.