A doctor who has helped save hundreds of children's lives been chosen from hundreds of people to win an award to mark the NHS's 70th birthday.

Dr Gayle Hann, a consultant paediatrician at North Middlesex Univesity Hospital, is now in the running to win a national award.

The NHS70 Parliamentary Awards, sponsored by IBM and Teva, recognise the massive contribution made by the individuals who work in and alongside the NHS.

Dr Hann pioneered a series of important innovations and improvements to the care provided for children at North Middlesex University Hospital’s busy A&E department.

She established consultant presence in the emergency department, transforming the quality and speed of initial clinical advice provided to young patients, many of whom are refugees or asylum seekers with previously undiagnosed conditions such as congenital heart disease.

Gayle and her A&E team help save hundreds of lives every year.

She established an innovative “grab bag” scheme to help children and young people who go into care after leaving A&E, providing them with a rucksack of goodies and useful information.

This includes a Teddy bear for younger children and a set of useful contacts for teenagers, including a helpline for young people who are at risk of sexual exploitation, concealed on a lip balm that enables it to be kept among their possessions without raising a perpetrator’s suspicions.

She set up a mentoring scheme for teenagers with the help of Tottenham Hotspur FC and helped to develop the Trust’s pioneering female genital mutilation support service, the Iris Clinic.

Dr Hann and her team provide training for junior doctors in the hospital’s emergency department and they recently received the Royal College of Paediatricians award for the best paediatric training department in London.

She said: “I am deeply honoured to have been nominated by our local MP and to have been chosen to represent London in the national NHS70 Parliamentary Awards. It’s a privilege to be able make such a difference to the lives of so many young people at North Mid and it’s thanks to the hard work of our team that we can achieve so much.”

Catherine West MP said: “I am delighted that this award has given Dr Hann and all the emergency team at North Mid recognition for their commitment and tireless work on our behalf. Emergency medicine is demanding work and more so locally where A&E is frequently working to capacity. Well done Dr Hann and all the emergency team – you’ve made all the community proud."

The regional champions will now go forward to a final stage of judging by a panel including the leaders of Royal Colleges, the trade union UNISON, and the Patients Association – collectively representing millions of healthcare workers and patients.

Dr Hann and the other regional champions will be invited to the national awards ceremony on July 4, the day before the NHS’s 70th birthday.