Betty Boothroyd, speaker of the House of Commons, plays to the camera with David Low (left) and Bryan Knight of Sandwell Healthcare trust at HSJ 's health management awards presentation.

Junior health minister Lord Hunt, presenting the awards at the Park Lane Hotel, London, said pressure on managers was 'incredibly intense', but the government was involved in 'a historic mission to take the ideals and values of the Bevanite NHS of 1948 and make the NHS fit for the 21st century'.

The award winners were:

Trust of the year: Newham Community Health Services trust.

Health authority of the year: Birmingham HA.

Finance department of the year: London Ambulance Service trust.

Human resources department of the year: Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare trust .

Communications department of the year: Peterborough Hospitals trust.

Clinical risk management team of the year: Community Health Care Services (North Derbyshire) trust.

Full details of all the winners will appear in HSJ next week.