A CHILDREN'S unit at Burnley General Hospital has scooped a major accolade and been highlighted as an example for the rest of the country to follow.

The Paediatric Unit at Burnley Health Care NHS Trust was announced as the winner of the Action For Sick Children Best Practice award.

The unit won the highest award at the ceremony picking up the Millennium Charter Award for overall excellence in paediatric services.

Nominations and submissions were invited early in 2002 and a panel of expert judges, which comprised of doctors, nurses and hospital managers, visited the unit before drawing up shortlist and identifying winners.

This is the second national accolade within a year for The Child Health Unit.

They were accredited under the Central Government Beacon Scheme, receiving the prestigious Beacon Status Award for Best Practice -- the first NHS Directorate to receive such an award.

Trust chairman Azhar Ali said, "This award recognises the huge strides made by Burnley, but particularly by the unit itself.

"I am sure that everyone in the trust will be pleased to have won this prestigious award and will want to congratulate all those past and present who have been involved in developing this into such a fantastic service.

"This is excellent news not only for the trust and the unit, but also for the local community."

The unit opened in 1999 and was developed following research into the needs of the local population.

Action for Sick Children is a leading children's healthcare charity in the UK.

This is the second year of its best practice awards, designed to recognise and reward excellence in children and young people's healthcare.