Working Together - Our Work with the Devon Freewheelers

Devon Freewheelers are a volunteer-based charity which provides an out-of-hours service to the NHS. Using marked blood bikes and cars, they transport urgently needed blood and medical supplies between hospitals. Besides the Charity’s core work, the volunteers also transport medical equipment, surgical equipment, medication, donor breast milk, patient notes and more recently blood, tissue and organs for transplant. Their riders and drivers are volunteers who give up their free time to help provide this life saving service.

Blood to Helimed10

Two years ago, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance began carrying blood products. Since then, Devon Freewheelers have ensured that blood is regularly and reliably delivered to our Clinical Team every 48hrs.

Volunteers in the Dorchester area are responsible for transporting the products. The resupply car (courtesy of the Henry Surtees Foundation), is ideally located close by and has a 4x4 capability which ensures that the blood products can be delivered in all weather conditions.

Each driver is on call for two days,enabling them to complete the scheduled resupply and exchange of blood on one day, and be available to respond to any unscheduled resupply if it is used. The driver collects the blood from the Dorchester County Hospital (DCH) blood bank and transports it to our Henstridge airbase. They will exchange it with either the unused blood products, or in the case of an unscheduled run, the used product container. They will then return the blood transit containers back to the blood bank at DCH.