The Rapid Relief Team (RRT) acted as the flu virus caused a state of emergency at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester.
Volunteers from the charity provided more than 600 hot drinks, snacks and refreshments at each hospital to help boost morale and sustain staff working extra-long shifts to care for the increasing number of patients.
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RRT volunteers at Hampshire Hospitals (Image: Rapid Relief Team) The state of emergency at the hospitals required staff to work more than 12-hour shifts to support the higher patient volumes, with many unable to take breaks for meals, adding physical and emotional strain to their already demanding jobs.
Volunteers from the Hampshire Hospital Charity also helped by delivering the RRT’s refreshments directly to hospital wards, ensuring staff who couldn’t leave their posts were well taken care of.
The RRT, made up of volunteers from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, is committed to offering practical support to charities, emergency services, and other organisations on the frontline.
As part of this commitment, RRT volunteers mobilise at short notice to provide food and refreshments to frontline workers during emergencies.
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RRT volunteers serving refreshments at Hampshire Hospitals (Image: Rapid Relief Team) Arran Labett, RRT local team leader, said: “When we learnt that a state of emergency had been called at hospitals in Hampshire, our volunteers quickly mobilised, and we were delighted to be able to serve over 1,200 refreshments to support staff providing vital care to those affected by the flu virus.
“We know that in winter our healthcare system is under increased pressure, and at the RRT we want to do everything we can to help alleviate some of the stress that healthcare workers experience.
“We are dedicated to putting compassion into action, and we hope our snacks were able to bring some relief to the hospital staff who are working extremely hard to keep our community safe and healthy.
“We thank them all for their efforts.”
Juliet Alexander, admin team lead at Royal Hampshire County Hospital, said: “The team from the RRT have been fantastic and quickly responded to our call to see whether they could help us following our critical incidents.
“Being able to bring food and refreshments to help our staff in these difficult times has been extremely appreciated.”