Dedicated St Albans NHS workers treated to ‘Thank you’ lunch
Posted: 11 November 2024
St Albans City Hospital staff with boxes of burgers
and Matron Sarahjane Turner dressed up as a burger
Hundreds of NHS workers at St Albans City Hospital enjoyed a special ‘Thank You’ lunch on Thursday (November 7) afternoon to recognise their hard work and dedication in looking after patients.
Around 400 delicious burgers were served up by volunteers from the Rapid Relief Team (RRT) charity to the hospital's nurses, doctors and support staff.
Workers tucked into beef and vegetarian burgers, nachos, salad and drinks as they took time out to enjoy a well-deserved break.
Matron Sarahjane Turner got into the party mood by dressing up as a burger – much to her colleagues' amusement. She entertained staff waiting to be served by dancing along to the Macarana and YMCA, and got many in the crowd to join in.
The event recognised the progress teams across West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had made in improving patient care, which includes improving cancer waiting times and consistently meeting all three national performance targets since August.
The Trust has also virtually eliminated the number of patients waiting more than 65 weeks for non-urgent treatment, from over 350 in the summer to just three by the end of September.
Matthew Coats, chief executive of West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "I’m very proud of our colleagues at St Albans for their hard work, dedication and passion in caring for patients all through the year. This Thank You event was our small way of showing our appreciation for everything they do. I’d also like to thank the Rapid Relief Team who organised the BBQ for us – they were fantastic and an absolute credit to their charity.
Harry Read, Local Team Leader, for RRT, said: "It was lovely to be able to thank the wonderful team at St Albans City Hospital and judging by how quickly the burgers disappeared, I think the staff enjoyed their lunch.
"We served up over 400 in a couple of hours, which must make it one of the biggest BBQs the city has seen since the summer! It was a brilliant day and we were glad to have been a part of it."
Rapid Relief Team is a charity that specialises in catering and support other charities, public sector workers and relief workers.
Ends
- For more information, please contact the communications team on: 01923 436280 or email: westherts.communications@nhs.net. Out of hours, please call the Watford General Hospital switchboard on 01923 244366 and ask for the on-call communications manager.
- West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves people from across Hertfordshire, north London and further afield. It operates from three hospitals: Watford General, St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead. The trust has a catchment area of over 600,000 people and is one of the largest employers locally, with around 5,800 staff and volunteers.
- For more information about our hospitals, visit www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk. You can also join us on Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube and LinkedIn
