Charity Focus

Life Support

If you have had a blood sample taken by your doctor for testing, have you ever considered who took it to the hospital laboratory for you?

Chances are it was a volunteer blood biker from the Devon Freewheelers charity – a group of men and women from across the county who each evening pull on their leathers and helmet, and head out on the charity’s motorbikes (and cars), often riding late into the night, quietly collecting hundreds of samples from medical centres and doctors’ surgeries in our towns and villages. This free, daily, out-of-hours, reliable courier service was set up in 2009 to save the NHS money – in the past, it was not unheard of for samples to be taken to the hospital laboratory by taxi, at huge cost. Thanks to the Devon Freewheelers’ volunteers, surgeries and medical centres signing up for the charity’s free help can arrange for their samples to be picked up even when they are closed – meaning they can run later clinics for their patients.

The charity is made up of a team of trained volunteer riders, drivers, call handlers and fundraisers - all dedicated to providing a 24/7 service, delivering blood, medical test samples, medication, medical equipment and patient notes to support the NHS. Each month the team travels hundreds of miles, transporting thousands of samples. The role of the Devon Freewheelers does not end there – the volunteers regularly transport breast milk to aid vulnerable babies in neonatal units across Devon, and collect from mums donating their own milk. Devon Freewheelers also proudly supports Devon Air Ambulance (DAA), transporting freeze-dried blood plasma, called LyoPlas, from the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital to DAA’s air bases in North Devon and Exeter.

Nigel Hare, operations director at Devon Air Ambulance, says: ‘Devon Freewheelers has supported Devon Air Ambulance for

many years. The nature of pre-hospital care means we cannot predict when a patient might need our critical care doctors and paramedics to administer life-saving treatment, which also means we cannot predict when we require replacement LyoPlas to be delivered. We are incredibly grateful for the service Devon Freewheelers provides, often with minimal notice, as it ensures our team always have LyoPlas available to administer to patients in their time of need.’

Dave Cook, a Devon Freewheelers volunteer rider who coordinates Devon riders in the east and north, and also transports LyoPlas to the air ambulance, explains: ‘We understand that when we collect anything upward of 10 blood or fluid samples each of them is the medical wellbeing of an individual, who has had it taken for a reason. They’re tested by a pathology or microbiology lab for confirmation of a medical professional’s initial diagnosis. Until those results are filtered back to the doctor, nurse or midwife the anxiety of the patient is increased by simply not knowing what their medical predicament is. That’s ten-plus quality-of-life issues that, as a rider, we are responsible for delivering safely and quickly to their destination. That responsibility gives me enormous pride in how we as volunteers are serving the community.’

Each day, from early afternoon, the phone call collection requests come thick and fast into the office at the charity’s headquarters, in Honiton, as medical centres and doctors’ surgeries arrange for a blood biker to take their day’s samples to the many Devon hospital laboratories. No appeal for help is ever turned down – and if an urgent request comes in, the rally call goes out to the charity’s team of loyal volunteers; the blood bikers are quick to act, instantly dropping whatever they are doing to respond. ‘Because of the nocturnal life of a blood biker,’ Dave continues, ‘we don’t normally meet any of the recipients of the commodities we collect and deliver around the county. A huge proportion of the community who attend surgeries probably aren’t even aware of our involvement. We occasionally meet medical professionals at hospital. The staff are always so appreciative of our services and occasionally learn for the first time of our volunteer status.

‘Having been a blood biker for nearly ten years I’m as motivated and enthusiastic now as I was when I first joined. Having had lots of personal family involvement with the NHS in the past, I know a fast, professional, and reliable courier service is crucially important for the welfare of others. I wear the Devon Freewheelers emblem with the same pride as I would a medal, and am privileged to highlight the role of the charity to anyone who’ll listen.’

Meanwhile, Emma Pring found the Devon Freewheelers gave her an opportunity to turn a terrible event into something good. ‘In 2012 I had a brain haemorrhage and as a result I can no longer give blood,’ she says. ‘I was distraught and it really saddened me beyond anything else I had to deal with. After my recovery I needed something to give back. I had already got my licence and the IAM qualification, so knew I could join up with the Devon Freewheelers. Every time I go on duty, I know it is my little way of giving something back and helping people around the west of Devon. As a female blood biker, I thought the response from people may have been different towards me, but I get ‘good on you girl’ when I tell them that I ride the bikes.’

For more information, to donate, or volunteer, see devonfreewheelers.org.uk