THE head of the supplies department at Steeton's Airedale Hospital is celebrating this week after scooping a top award for his profession.

Graham Beck, 43, was awarded the Millennium Award for excellence in providing and developing the supplies profession in the health care sector.

The award, given by the Healthcare Supplies Association, comes after news that the NHS trust department is to start providing the service for five other healthcare organisations including Bradford District Care Trust.

And it acknowledges the work Mr Beck has put in to developing professional qualifications in-house for the department's employees.

This saves the hospital trust thousands of pounds of fees but allows employees to work towards an NVQ level four standard, the equivalent of an academic degree.

Mr Beck, from Glusburn, has worked at Airedale since 1981, starting his working life as a storekeeper and making his ways up the ranks.

He is now responsible for 32 employees across the district, half of whom have already benefited from the new qualifications.

Between them they control the trust's purchasing, from medical equipment to drugs. They negotiate the best price and work to top the three per cent savings required by the trust board each year.

Mr Beck said: "Currently over 50 per cent of the supplies team have gained qualifications.

"It is envisaged that all supplies staff within Airedale will have qualifications within the next three years.

"This is some feat when it is estimated that over 70 per cent of supplies staff within the NHS have no formal qualifications.

"We are only as good as our team, and only as good as the support we get from our organisation.

"If I am going to make a difference, I need the support of the trust and I get that at Airedale."