Pioneering hospital departments in Swindon have been shortlisted for a national award for their work.

The department of Diagnostic Radiology at Princess Margaret Hospital and the department of Old Age Psychiatry at Victoria Hospital are both in the running for an award organised by medical journal Hospital Doctor.

Leading the 100-strong Diagnostic Radiology team is Dr John Henson, who actively promotes a skills mix in the department to allow radiographers and nurses to perform jobs traditionally carried out by consultants.

The team has also launched a dedicated radiology web site which they say is the first in Britain. Dr Henson said: "We are delighted about it. It is a reflection of the team as a whole who work very well together."

He explained that a lengthy dossier outlining the strengths of the department had been submitted to Hospital Doctor by his colleague Dr Alf Troughton. This was followed by a visit to the department by the competition judges in August.

"Last year we were highly commended," he said. "We have done well because we were up against 300 other potential applicants."

The Princess Margaret Hospital Diagnostic Radiology team is competing against two other finalists for the Nycomed Amersham Diagnostic Imaging Team Award.

The Victoria Hospital Old Age Psychiatry team has made it to the final three for the Shire and Janssen-Cilag Dementia Team Award. Clinical director Roger Bullock has been in charge since his arrival at Victoria Hospital in 1994. He and his team have overseen a closer working relationship between social services and the NHS in caring for dementia sufferers. A new unit has also been opened for younger people with dementia.

Dr Bullock said: "I think we have been successful because we believe in action rather than words."

The team has also been shortlisted for the Health Service Journal mental health initiative of the year, for their forget-me-not club which works with young dementia sufferers.

The winners of each category will be announced at London's Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane on November 22 and the winning departments will each receive £5,000.