Advanced Riders Save Lives – Norfolk Blood Bikes
During the day, Norfolk Blood Bike Volunteers can be difficult to spot. Most of the time they look just like regular people going about their lives, some working, some retired, some in between. However, during the hours of darkness and on weekends & bank holidays, they can often be seen wearing Hi-Vis safety gear, riding liveried motorcycles, driving similarly marked cars or, just as importantly, on the phone, communicating with our local hospitals in the case of a patient emergency.
The charity’s team of volunteers at Norfolk Blood Bikes give up their own time to transport urgently required blood, platelets, plasma, samples and medical instruments between hospitals, the air ambulance and several medical centres throughout the region. Furthermore, during the daytime on an ad-hoc basis, volunteers transport donated breast milk from donors across the county to the Milk Hub in Norwich. From there it can be dispatched to of the Neo-natal Intensive Care Units that require lifesaving supplies for premature babies.
All of the Blood Bike riders are experienced, all-weather riders and hold an Advanced Rider qualification. Contrary to public perception, as a civilian volunteer organisation and unlike the Ambulance and Police services, Blood Bikers are not able to use blue lights on the public highway, exceed speed limits or flaunt the rules of the road. Riders rely on the skills acquired through training and experience to make good progress in order to complete their journey quickly, efficiently and safely.
Most deliveries for blood and blood products start with a call to the Regional Blood Bank at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge. Deliveries are then rushed to the Pathology teams at either Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn, the NNUH in Norwich, James Paget Hospital in Great Yarmouth. Every night the team support the Doctors on board the East Anglian Air Ambulance stationed at Norwich Airport by delivering fresh stock of blood products to restock the helicopter for the next day. Every hospital in the county, as well as the major trauma centres, may have samples that need testing overnight. This service forms a significant part of the duties performed by the Blood Bikes team and sometimes blood samples have to be transferred as far as London to specialist laboratories.
- 5 cars – used for multiple box runs and to insure the blood does not get too cold in winter
- 16 motorcycles – Yamaha FJR 1300, Triumph Tiger GT Pro 1200
- 107 Volunteers – spread across Norfolk
- 365 trips to the Air Ambulance each year
- 1287 litres of donated breast milk transferred
- 2273 tasks undertaken each year – more than 6 times every 24 hours
- £60,000 cost each year to keep the wheel turning
- More than 145,000 miles each year – 6 times around the world
Their work is all voluntary, and Norfolk Blood Bikes is funded by charitable giving alone. The goodwill of the volunteers saves the NHS and the taxpayer a huge amount each year. Without them, these life-saving products may not reach the Doctors and surgeons treating your loved-one in time. Premature babies may not get the nourishing human milk required for early development and the bolstering of their immune system. Urgent samples might not have got to the test-laboratory overnight, thereby slowing up a potential life-saving diagnosis and treatment.
Whatever they weather; torrential rain, scorching sun, howling winds or even snow (they use cars in extremely cold weather), they are ready to go.
So, if you see a flash of yellow hi-vis, spare them a thought, give them a wave, and if safe to do so, let them pass whenever possible. One day it might be you or your loved one that need their precious cargo.
#We’llGoNoMatterWhat
https://norfolkbloodbikes.org.uk
