RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 ‘Between the flags’: implementing a rapid response system at scale JF BMJ Quality & Safety JO BMJ Qual Saf FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd SP 714 OP 717 DO 10.1136/bmjqs-2014-002845 VO 23 IS 9 A1 Clifford Hughes A1 Charles Pain A1 Jeffrey Braithwaite A1 Kenneth Hillman YR 2014 UL http://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/23/9/714.abstract AB While many hospitals are implementing rapid response systems (RRSs) to attend to deteriorating patients in a systematic way, there is little documented evidence on system-wide approaches to adopting RRSs. Here, we report on an initiative which enrolled 220 hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. The ‘between the flags’ approach was modelled on Australia's surf lifesaving experience, where qualified lifesavers perform thousands of rescues each year. Patients in hospitals who are identified as being ‘between the flags’ are given special attention, just like beach goers.