A HEALTH visitor has won a national award to support her work helping to raise awareness of health needs among the travelling community.

Jill Salkeld has been working with travelling families on the East Howle site, near Ferryhill, for the past 18 months.

But when she tried to find health promotion material specific to their needs she found there was none.

Now thanks to a £1,500 user involvement in care award from the British Nursing Foundation, Mrs Salkeld is producing her own literature which she hopes will be distributed nationally.

The health visitor, who is based at Ferryhill Clinic and is employed by Sedgefield Primary Care Trust (PCT), has found that travellers have their own specific health issues. These include dental health, diet, play and stimulation and uptake of health services.

Mrs Salkeld said: "The children have really enjoyed it. I've been going down taking their photographs for the material and have been taking play equipment down there.

"Because the children have enjoyed it the parents have responded enthusiastically. They're really friendly and I've now built up a good relationship with them. As far as the children's health clinic goes they're definitely coming to us more but it'll take quite a while to see what impact it's actually had."

With extra funding from Sure Start Ferryhill and Chilton, along with Health Promotion at Sedgefield and Darlington, the material should be ready for publication in March or April.

Mrs Salkeld thanked the Traveller Education Department for its advice and Sure Start family worker Sam Lye.

She said: "I'm going to send this out to libraries and book stores and different health promotion agencies throughout the country because there's very little material in this area."

Alan Gray, chairman of Sedgefield PCT, said: "If we are really serious about providing high quality NHS services to everyone who needs it, user involvement is absolutely essential.

"Jill has won this important national award for her work with a group of people who are traditionally hard to reach and hard to hear.

"I'm certain that her work will benefit people in the Sedgefield PCT area. I'm delighted to congratulate Jill on behalf of the PCT board."