Hospital staff holding burgers, next to a member of staff dressed up like a burger in a funny costume.
St Albans City Hospital staff with their burgers and Matron
Sarahjane Turner embracing the occasion 

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.Members of hospital staff smiling holding boxes of burgers.

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. Visit their website.