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Acute and Ambulance Appreciation Week

Acute and Ambulance Appreciation Week

Shine a light on the people, teams and partnerships driving positive change.

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Share your learning, celebrate improvement and inspire others

9-13 November 2026

Across acute and ambulance services, teams are delivering improvements every day that make a real difference for patients, staff and the wider health and care system. Yet many of these successes, insights and lessons remain local.

Acute and Ambulance Appreciation Week is an opportunity to shine a light on the people, teams and partnerships driving positive change and to create a space where others can learn from their experiences.

A row of ambulances outside a hospital.

Throughout the week, we will host a series of webinars and showcase examples of improvement across key themes:

  • elective care
  • urgent and emergency care (UEC)
  • ambulance services

Rather than focusing solely on outcomes, we are particularly interested in understanding the journey behind the improvement: what enabled success, what challenges were overcome, what lessons were learned and what advice would you share with others looking to make similar changes?

This is an opportunity to showcase the achievements of your team, gain recognition for your work, share learning with peers across the NHS, and help others adopt successful approaches in their own organisations.

Get involved

If you have an improvement story, innovation or example of great practice to share, please get in touch with us.

Express an interest in being a contributor via our short form before the end of the day on 18 September 2026.

Why take part?

Taking part offers an opportunity to:

  • celebrate the achievements of your team and partners at a wider scale
  • recognise the people behind successful improvement work
  • share learning and practical insights with colleagues across the NHS
  • highlight innovation, collaboration and impactful practice
  • inspire others to adopt and adapt successful approaches.

Selected stories and examples may be featured through:

  • live webinars
  • recorded presentations and conversations
  • blog posts and insight articles
  • case study spotlights
  • national communications channels.
What we're looking for

We welcome improvement stories from across acute and ambulance services, particularly those linked to:

  • Elective care: Examples that have improved patient experience, access, productivity, pathways, partnership working or outcomes.
  • Urgent and emergency care: Initiatives that have enhanced flow, reduced delays, improved patient experience or strengthened system working.
  • Ambulance services: Improvements that have supported patient care, operational effectiveness, workforce experience or partnership working.

We are especially interested in stories that demonstrate:

  • strong leadership, teamwork or collaboration
  • creative problem-solving
  • meaningful improvements for patients, staff or services
  • learning that can be applied elsewhere
  • demonstratable change and outcomes
  • honest reflections on challenges and lessons learned.
Key questions to consider

When sharing your improvement story, it may be helpful to reflect on:

  • What change did you implement?
  • What impact has the improvement had?
  • What have you learned along the way?
  • What advice would you offer to others?
Get in touch

If you have any questions about Acute and Ambulance Appreciation Week or would like support in identifying an example of improvement to showcase, please get in touch.

Email: acuteandambulancenetwork@thenhsalliance.org

We look forward to celebrating and sharing the learning, expertise and innovation helping to improve care across acute and ambulance services.

Please note: Further information about what will be running and available during the week will be communicated to members through our newsletters and other channels from September onwards.