Rapid Response Team

What is it?

A dedicated Medical Emergency Team of Doctors, Nurses and other specialists. They rush to the patient’s bedside in minutes and listen to the family’s concerns. The team access the patient with fresh eyes and have the authority to cut through red tape and transfer the patient immediately to Intensive Care.

Who can call it?

Patients, Family and Friends.

When to call?

If the Healthcare Team ignores family concerns and the patient is not receiving appropriate/adequate care or, if it’s an emergency situation.

Why it Makes Sense?

Experts say warning signs often appear hours before a patient suffers a cardiac arrest and relatives are often the first to detect trouble.

Who already uses it?

Hospitals in America encourage and empower the family to just call the team based on gut instinct – a feeling that something is wrong but can’t explain why.

A Nurse Consultant, Dr Mandy Odell was inspired by Condition Help in America and along with her colleagues, implemented C4C (Call for Concern) at The Royal Berkshire Hospital in the UK.  Read the article and presentation here.

“I was so excited to hear about the Call 4 Concern Rapid Response team at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, inspired by Dr Mandy Odell and Intensive Care Nurse Karin Gerber. I believe they are making medical history and their pioneering work will pave the way for other hospitals to take this valuable service on board.

It is notoriously difficult to bring big changes in the medical field especially something as radical as letting the patients and family call a Rapid Response team directly.  It is only natural to expect a lot of resistance and fear.

These two women have hearts of lions and they deserve and need our help and support. We, the general public, need to get behind their good work and help them help us – the everyday people, secure the right to call for immediate medical help when we need it.

If I was able to call a Family and Patient Activated Rapid Response Team I truly believe Hayley would still be alive today.”

Hayley’s mum.

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