South West Blood Bikes coverage over Christmas Period
South West Blood Bikes (SWBB) has been supporting University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) since 2020. Since then, they have supported the trust with over 2,443 callouts, helping save the lives of patients and helping them get the correct treatment quickly.
Plymouth based charity, South West Blood Bikes, supp
orts the NHS and Hospices throughout Devon all year round through their free to use Blood Bike service. The charity provides hospitals with an emergency out of hours courier service, moving blood, samples, medicines, and patient records, alongside anything else that the NHS needs to treat a patient that isn’t available to the clinicians who need the item
As of mid-November, SWBB volunteers have carried out 773 jobs, alongside moving 1,788 individual items. The charity continued their efforts over the festive period, saving money for the NHS, as well as helping patients get the care they need over Christmas.
Mark Bentley, Chairperson and Trustee for SWBB, said: “Our service to University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust over the Christmas and New Year period will be extended to provide the trust with 24/7 cover, right the way through to ensure the Trust receives full support at what can be a challenging time for the NHS.
“Our volunteers have no hesitation in signing up to do this – we do what we do for the patients, and because we all care passionately about supporting the NHS. At all times during the holiday period, we will have at least two of our Blood Bikes available in Plymouth, and if more support is needed, we can call on volunteers from our teams in Exeter and Torbay to help too.”
UHP is extremely thankful to SWBB for all the work that they do to help support the Trust, especially over the festive period. The work that the charity and volunteer team is doing over Christmas will greatly benefit patients care, alongside making it easier and more efficient for our staff to be able to do their jobs.
You can find out more about the charity and how they help the NHS and hospices in Devon on their website at www.swbb.charity.
