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In 2019 there are more than thirty local groups operating in the UK and Ireland.<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/160106-blood-bikers-volunteer-hospital-transportation/ Volunteer Bikers Save Lives by Delivering Blood in Dead of Night]</ref> These include:
In 2019 there are more than thirty local groups operating in the UK and Ireland.<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/160106-blood-bikers-volunteer-hospital-transportation/ Volunteer Bikers Save Lives by Delivering Blood in Dead of Night]</ref> These include:
* [[Essex Voluntary Blood Service EVBS]]<ref>[http://www.EssexVoluntaryBloodService.com Essex Voluntary Blood Service]</ref> - covering Essex and East London
* Essex Voluntary Blood Service EVBS<ref>[http://www.EssexVoluntaryBloodService.com Essex Voluntary Blood Service]</ref><ref>[https://www.ehaat.org/press_release/essex-herts-air-ambulance-to-carry-blood-supplies/ Essex & Herts Air Ambulance to carry blood supplies]</ref> - covering Essex and East London
* [[Freewheelers EVS]]<ref>[http://www.northsomersettimes.co.uk/news/lions-donated-cash-to-blood-bikes-1-5148729 Lions donated cash to Blood Bikes]</ref> – Bath, Bristol, Gloucestershire (south), Somerset, West Wiltshire
* [[Freewheelers EVS]]<ref>[http://www.northsomersettimes.co.uk/news/lions-donated-cash-to-blood-bikes-1-5148729 Lions donated cash to Blood Bikes]</ref> – Bath, Bristol, Gloucestershire (south), Somerset, West Wiltshire
* [[Nottinghamshire Blood Bikes]] – Nottinghamshire
* [[Nottinghamshire Blood Bikes]] – Nottinghamshire

Revision as of 07:23, 2 June 2019

A blood bike operated by Freewheelers EVS

A blood bike is a motorcycle used to courier urgent and emergency medical items including blood, X-rays, samples, drugs, and documentation between hospitals and other healthcare facilities.[1][2]

In the United Kingdom and Ireland a network of largely independent registered charities, whose members are all unpaid volunteers, provide blood bike courier services in collaboration with their local healthcare authorities. Many are represented through the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (NABB).[3][4]

Commercial blood bike courier services also exist.[5]

History

The first blood bike volunteer group to be established was the Emergency Volunteer Service (EVS), formed in 1962 in Surrey, England, by Margaret Ryerson and her husband. In 1969 the Freewheelers youth community action group formed in Stevenage which initially served hospitals in Stevenage, Luton, Dunstable, Bedford and Hitchin.[6] These original groups are no longer operating, but other groups emerged that provide similar services.

Yeovil Freewheelers was founded by Cecil Turner in 1978.[7] In 1981, SERV (which formed shortly after the original EVS disbanded) and the North East Thames Region Emergency Voluntary Service (also known as the EVS) in North East London, were founded. North East Thames Region EVS disbanded in November 1998 but SERV continues to operate as a number of different groups.[citation needed]

In 2010, one group made deliveries at a cost of around £25,000, paid for by charitable donations, which according to NABB saved the NHS over £120,000.[6] There are no exact figures for how much blood bikes save the NHS annually, however NABB estimates that it was approximately £1.4m in 2016.[8]

In 2019 Warwickshire and Solihull Blood Bikes, which started in 2012, was told that University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust was dispensing with its services, and would be replaced by a commercial contract with QE Facilities Limited, a subsidiary company of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust.[9]

Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

Several groups have received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service:

Recognition as one of Britain's emergency services

In the August 2018 Budget of the United Kingdom, a Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) exemption was introduced for Blood Bikes vehicles, effective from April 2020, "to align the tax treatment of the transportation of blood and medical supplies by the national charity Blood Bikes with other emergency vehicles".[13][14]

Blood Bike Awareness Day

The first Blood Bike Awareness Day took place on Friday, 14 August 2015 [15] with initial one off support provided by O2 and has continued annually since. It is to be held on the Friday closest to August 14. Reasons for this include it being the mirror to February 14 and St Valentine's day with its association with the heart and thus blood, being summer the news cycle is often devoid of political stories and there is a greater propensity for journalists to fill airtime with such awareness days also compounded by Fridays being shown even more inclined to cover such local news topics.[16]

  • Friday 14 August 2015 (first)
  • Friday 12 August 2016
  • Friday 11 August 2017
  • Friday 17 August 2018
  • Friday 16 August 2019 (planned)

Current groups

In 2019 there are more than thirty local groups operating in the UK and Ireland.[17] These include:

Rider deaths

Motorcyclists are classified as vulnerable road users as when the casualty and fatality numbers are adjusted to passenger miles covered it is the most dangerous form of transport when compared to walking, cycling and various four wheeled vehicles.[23] With the annual miles covered collectively by all the Blood Bike charities and the added dangers of journeys at night and in adverse weather, despite advanced rider training, occasions of tragedy have struck.

Martin Dixon

On November 28th 2016, Martin Dixon of Bloodrun EVS (Cleveland and North Yorkshire) while on duty was involved in a traffic collision resulting in his death.[24]

Russell Curwen

On May 5th 2018 Russell Curwen of North West Blood Bikes while on duty was involved in a traffic collision resulting in his death.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Top award for volunteer couriers". BBC News. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  2. ^ LV partners with Adrian Flux on blood bikes scheme
  3. ^ Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (UK)
  4. ^ Riders deliver vital supplies
  5. ^ Blood couriers launch case challenging self-employed status
  6. ^ a b Blood bikers: The volunteer motorcyclists who help the NHS
  7. ^ Yeovil Freewheelers
  8. ^ The volunteer blood bikers saving lives, NHS time and money
  9. ^ "Charity that provided free blood service to NHS is replaced by private firm in £14,000,000 deal". Metro. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  10. ^ Top award for volunteer couriers
  11. ^ Blood Bikes group given Queen’s Award for voluntary service
  12. ^ a b It’s Volunteers Week – by Royal Ascent
  13. ^ Budget 2018
  14. ^ 'You helped me' note left on Blood Bike at Tesco in Carmarthen
  15. ^ "Blood Bike Awareness Day". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  16. ^ "NABB 2017 News Letter" (PDF). {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  17. ^ Volunteer Bikers Save Lives by Delivering Blood in Dead of Night
  18. ^ Essex Voluntary Blood Service
  19. ^ Essex & Herts Air Ambulance to carry blood supplies
  20. ^ Lions donated cash to Blood Bikes
  21. ^ Quick deliveries from The Severn Freewheelers
  22. ^ "Yorkshire Air Ambulances to carry blood on board". Minster FM. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  23. ^ "Reported Road Casualties 2017" (PDF). p. 8. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  24. ^ "Tributes to bloodrun volunteer". The Northern Echo.
  25. ^ "Volunteer Blood Biker Killed in Lancaster Collision". Guardian.
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