Rapid Relief Team Hosts A&E Appreciation Week to Thank Emergency Department Teams with More Than 100 Coffee and Cake Events Across the Country
survey of 2,063 UK adults, commissioned by the charity the Rapid Relief Team (RRT), found 60 per cent would think twice about going to A&E this winter because of the pressure the NHS is under.
Meanwhile, 78 per cent agree that A&E staff do not receive enough recognition for the work they do, with 79 per cent of respondents backing that staff should be able to refuse to treat patients who are abusive.
The findings come as the RRT is holding its second A&E Appreciation Week from 12 to 16 October, with over 500 volunteers running more than 100 coffee and cake events at departments across the country to give teams a well-deserved break and a boost to morale.
A&E Appreciation Week was set up by the RRT last year to give the public a chance to thank emergency department teams, whose work often happens out of sight and goes unrecognised.
The charity, which is made up of volunteers from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, is calling for the week to be formally designated as an annual national event, with two-thirds of respondents in the recent survey saying they would support an official national week to recognise A&E staff.
The research suggests A&E staff feel less appreciated than they did a few years ago, with 77 per cent of people believing the public showed more appreciation for NHS staff during the pandemic than it does today.
Only care workers were ahead of A&E staff in the rankings of groups that receive the least recognition from the public.
“A&E teams are there for all of us when things go wrong, and they’re doing it under huge pressure. It’s worrying that so many people now say they’d think twice about going to A&E, and that staff are still facing abuse while they’re trying to help."
Ross Norman
RRT UK Head of Operations
“People feel A&E staff aren’t being thanked enough for what they do, and two thirds would back a national week to put that right.”
“A coffee and a slice of cake won’t fix the pressures on the NHS, but it’s a chance for staff to stop for a few minutes and hear that people are grateful. We want to see A&E Appreciation Week officially recognised so that happens every year.”
The RRT’s A&E Appreciation Week was launched last year and in August the charity launched Nurses Community Connect, a national initiative recognising nurses, where volunteers served 4,000 hot meals to nurses, patients and families.
