A team of health workers has been praised for its work with children at an Oxford hospital, despite being poorly funded.

Dr Peter Sullivan and his colleagues run a paediatric gastroenterology unit at the John Radcliffe, in Headington.

The NHS says it has had to prioritise investment, so despite helping 8,000 children since 1994, the department has only stayed open by using non-NHS money.

It has now been applauded by Hospital Doctor magazine, which has listed the unit among the finalists in its annual awards. The winner will be announced next month.

The NHS pays for two junior doctors and one nurse, while the remaining six staff are paid for by Children Nationwide, Sports Aid Research in Kids, and the Rhodes Trust.

Honorary consultant Dr Sullivan, who is paid by Oxford University, said: "I've been to the highest levels to make my case and one person wouldn't even see me because, according to them, there was nothing to discuss.

"One generous friend of a patient knew at one stage that the service was about to go belly up and put their hand in their own pocket to provide a nurse's salary for two years."

The unit treats children with bowel disorders and nutritional problems from six counties, and has a constipation clinic rated so highly that nurses share their skills with other hospitals.

An Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust spokesman said: "Choices have to be made and balances agreed between investing for example in new, life saving cancer drugs, operations to beat heart disease and a wide range of new services for children. The paediatric gastroentorology service has been considered by Oxfordshire's Priorities Forum.

"The forum, which includes representatives from the NHS and from patient groups, considers the needs of people across the county and makes decisions about service priorities. The forum decided that other services were more of a priority."