OUR MISSION IS CLEAR - save lives and improve outcomes for patients’ Have you seen ‘blood’ bikes on your roads and wondered exactly what it is they carry? Well, it’s a lot more than you think.
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n line with many similar groups nationwide South West ‘It is important to understand that we are not commercial couriers,’ added Mark: ‘We exist only to Blood Bikes provides a free volunteer out of hours emergency courier service to the NHS, and other medical supply an urgent out of hours service, and not regular contracted work which the NHS use their own courier facilities, using its fleet of motorcycles and cars. network and paid contractors for during office hours. We The concept of Blood Bikes dates back to 1962, when exist to step in when something is needed outside of this Margaret Ryerson, and her husband, became the first arrangement.’ volunteers to help their local hospital in Wallington, South West Blood Bikes was established as a charity Surrey, using her trusted Ariel motorcycle and sidecar. in November 2018. The charity was conceived by a Chairman Mark Bentley said: ‘Our mission is clear number of riders who previously volunteered with a - to save lives and improve outcomes for patients by similar charity elsewhere within the county. They had supporting healthcare providers where rapid movement concerns about the way in which that organisation was of the items we transport will achieve this. being operated and decided to break away and set up a ‘In addition, Blood Bike charities save the NHS, and new and separate organisation Hospices they serve, hundreds of thousands of pounds every The volunteers move Whole which was more transparent its operation, had no paid year. If we were not providing Blood, Pathology and Microbiology in staff, and made no charge for its this service, they would be samples, Donor Breast Milk, Medical service. This is a fundamental forced to use expensive private principle of the Blood Bike Records and X-Rays, Medical couriers or even taxis to do the charities nationwide. same job.’ Equipment and Test Kits, and Today, its founder and trustee, South West Blood Bikes are the medications including controlled Michael Freeman, remains as a only such service in Devon to drugs - in fact anything that is volunteer rider with the charity, be members of the Nationwide but handed responsibility for required urgently by a medical Association of Blood Bikes, the day-to-day operation of meaning they have been facility, providing it can fit on a the charity to Chairman, Mark vetted and found to meet their motorcycle! Bentley. Mark is an experienced standards of operation, and manager with operational form part of a chain of Blood experience, and also has significant experience of running Bikes covering the whole of the UK and Ireland – and charities – as well as being the first rider SWBB brought can move items quickly nationwide by working in relay on board following its formation. with the NABB groups in each county. The charity has 54 working volunteers at this time, The volunteers move Whole Blood, Pathology and most of whom are actively involved in riding or driving Microbiology samples, Donor Breast Milk, Medical to provide the service. The only members who do not Records and X-Rays, Medical Equipment and Test Kits, actively carry out Blood Bike missions for the service are and medications including controlled drugs - in fact six volunteer controllers, who take and allocate the calls anything that is required urgently by a medical facility, received, and four fundraisers. The remaining volunteers providing it can fit on a motorcycle! are all directly involved with providing the service on a The service is from 5pm to 7am weekdays and provides rota basis. 24-hour cover during weekends and public holidays. The group initially commenced operation from a unit in 24-hour cover was maintained during periods of national Plymouth, which is still in use today, but it has expanded, lockdown due to Covid-19.
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