A blood bike is a specialist motorcycle modified for use as a
courier vehicle for the prompt transportation of urgent and emergency medical items; primarily including
blood, and also including
X-rays, tissue samples,
surgical tools,
human milk,
spinal fluids, drugs, and documentation; between
hospitals and other healthcare facilities.[1][2][3]
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), itself a registered charity (number 1198195).[4][5][6] NABB requires that its members hold advanced rider qualifications.[2][6]
Commercially-run blood bike courier services also exist.[7]
History
The first blood bike volunteer group to be established in the United Kingdom was the Emergency Volunteer Service (EVS), formed in
1962 in
Surrey, England, by Margaret Ryerson and her husband.[2] In
1969, the Freewheelers youth community action group formed in
Stevenage which initially served hospitals in Stevenage, Luton, Dunstable, Bedford, and Hitchin.[2] These original groups are no longer operating, but other groups emerged that provide similar services.
Yeovil Freewheelers was founded in
1978.[8] In 1981,
SERV (Service by Emergency Response Volunteers),[2] 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]
The Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes was established in
2008 to promote professional standards across all the member blood bike groups.[9]
As an example of the scale of their operations, in
2010, one group made 2,500 deliveries at a cost of around £25,000, paid for by charitable donations, which according to NABB saved the
NHS over £120,000.[2] There are no exact figures for how much blood bikes save the NHS annually, however NABB estimates that it was approximately £1.4 million in
2016 from its 56,000 blood bike journeys.[3][10]
In the August 2018
Budget, the government introduced
Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) exemption 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".[11][12] However, blood bikes cannot use blue lights and sirens, unlike the three statutory emergency services as NABB's application to use them has been rejected.[13]
Inspired by the UK model, Blood Bikes Australia was founded in
Brisbane, Queensland, in September
2019, with a run by Peter Davis for the Mater Hospital. Since then, the number of qualified volunteers has risen rapidly across the country.
The first Blood Bike Awareness Day took place on Friday 14 August
2015,[38] with initial support provided by
O2 and has continued annually since. It is to be held on the Friday closest to 14 August. Reasons for this include it being the mirror to 14 February 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.[39]
Incidents
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 motor vehicles.[40] Two blood bike riders have been involved in fatal accidents:
28 November 2016 — Martin Dixon of Bloodrun EVS (Cleveland and North Yorkshire) was killed while on duty in a
traffic collision.[41]