"excellent St T A&E, and RAPID RESPONSE TEAM"

The NHS gets so much negative publicity.

But so many of us get excellent service from a really stretched service, and we don’t publicise this.

I want to praise St Thomas A and E, and in particular the role the Rapid Response Team plays in its success

Over the years [I am 84] I have on various occasions had experience of A and E, for family, friends and on occasions myself. It was in the past seldom a pleasant experience.

In the last few years things have been transformed, showing practical lateral thinking and planning to create a system which works.

One result is the Rapid Response Team which more than lives up to its name. The multidisciplinary team, set up to reduce admissions and readmissions, does so in an entirely user friendly and flexible way. I have twice benefitted from their service, meaning I could go home knowing I was supported in the ways I needed and with rehabilitation. To mention just two aspects of it – the flexibility in providing a service at a time suitable for me the patient, and the telephone call before to check the time is convenient.

I realise that I am extraordinarily lucky to be the recipient of its services. Everyone I talk to about it wish that such a service were available in their area.

So I want to thank everyone behind the thinking and design of all aspects of A and E at St

Thomas, and the staff of all disciplines who do their jobs so professionally, and helpfully.

By the way I would be very interested to know the statistics on the effects on rates of admission and readmission.