What we do
We generally use specially adapted motorcycles to give us the maximum flexibility and the best response time. However, there are times when it would be unsafe to operate a motorcycle e.g. in thick fog, during snowstorms, or other extremes of weather.
We have a response car on standby for occasions when the motorcycles cannot operate or when the load to be carried is too great. We will always do our very best to turn out but ask for your understanding if we are unable to operate for rider safety reasons.
Items Carried
We are happy to deliver any of the following items:
- Blood for transfusion, platelets, or other blood products, which must be supplied to us in an appropriate packaging.
- Blood, urine, or other tissue samples for analysis by pathology and microbiology laboratories, all of which are transported in accordance with regulation UN3373.
- Drugs, including controlled drugs which necessitate the drugs register to be signed
- X-Rays, scans and CD-ROMs
- Patient notes
- Any small pieces of medical equipment.
- If in doubt, call us and ask
Please be mindful we generally use motorcycles equipped with panniers and a large top box. Please do not ask us to carry a large item like a wheelchair. It simply will not fit!
We are happy to make arrangements to use facilities such as switchboards, porters' lodge or Accident & Emergency if a particular department will be closed when we pick up or deliver.
The charity currently runs two bikes plus a hot-standby spare. All bikes are Honda Pan Europeans fitted with blue lights and sirens so that deliveries classified as an emergency can be delivered safely and quickly. This enables riders to make safe progress through congested traffic more effectively than any alternative vehicles. The Honda motorcycles are meticulously maintained, have bulletproof reliability and are fitted with the latest Satellite Navigation and Bluetooth Technology.
Our response car is a fully marked Vauxhall Vectra also equipped with blue lights and sirens although this will generally only operate when it is not possible to use the motorcycles. We will provide this car to carry transplant tissue and accompanying teams should this be required.
Coverage Area
We are happy to make deliveries to hospitals, clinics and residential psychiatric or geriatric homes. Please see the next section for important information about delivery to private addresses.
We operate mainly in a 20 mile radius from our base in Anlaby, HU10 6SR but will undertake longer journeys should you require us to. We can reach Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital within minutes and we aim to be with you within no more than 30 minutes of receiving an urgent call. In the case of an emergency we will respond immediately and should reach you in considerably less time. We are happy to be called out to standby on site where you anticipate an imminent need.
Urgent and Emergency deliveries within our normal area of coverage will be made free of charge between 7pm and 7am.
Longer trips outside our area will attract a very reasonable 50 pence per mile charge after the first 20 miles. This goes some way to covering our vehicle fuel costs.
No matter where we deliver to our volunteer riders and coordinators always give their time free of charge. We are happy to make deliveries as far away as Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and London for example.
Deliveries to Private Addresses
We will make urgent deliveries of drugs or other medical supplies to private addresses. However, as this category of job frequently causes problems such as no one being awake to receive the item in the early hours of the morning or areas where crime rates and the risk to riders known to be high. We ask you to understand that we will only make such deliveries under the following conditions:
- We will not deliver non-medical or trivial items e.g. a patient's personal possessions.
- We must be supplied with a recipient telephone number. We will make contact with the recipient to ensure that somebody will be in to receive the package. If we cannot make contact then we will unfortunately have to refuse to accept the job.
- We are very happy to make a delivery to a medical professional such as a Doctor, midwife or community nurse attending a patient's home. However, a telephone number must be given so that we can confirm times and actual location.
- Deliveries are undertaken the rider's discretion. We reserve the right to refuse a delivery if there is any potential or perceived threat to the rider's personal safety.
Call Categories
When a hospital or clinic calls BloodFast to request our help, the on-duty coordinator will log all details including contact names, pickup and delivery locations, and contents. The coordinator will also discuss the urgency of the delivery and agree with the caller to assign one of two categories:
- Urgent: Deliveries that must be made by a specified time. Urgent runs are free of charge within our area. We will only apply a mileage charge of 50 pence per loaded mile if we are going out of area and after the first 20 miles.
- Emergency: Deliveries that involve a risk to a patient's life. These are the highest priority and are the only ones that justify the use of blue lights and sirens. Please select this category with care and only when absolutely necessary. Emergency runs are free of charge within our area and we only apply a mileage charge of 50 pence when operating out of area and after 20 miles.
We do not charge for waiting time should you need us to wait for a return delivery but please remember that should you ask us to wait, others will not have access to the service.
If you wish to use our service please be sure have all the collection and delivery details available when you call. If anything changes while the rider is en-route to you, please let the coordinator know immediately. The coordinator can call the rider or driver (who has Bluetooth linked messaging and communications on board) and relay your message. We will be happy to change the category of a call if circumstances change e.g. a patient's condition deteriorates and a delivery needs to be changed from Urgent to Emergency.
We do not publish our riders contact numbers on our website and we do not answer calls when riding. When the coordinator calls, our riders pull over before taking the call. This is part of our Health and Safety criteria and also avoids mixed messages being received from different parties, hence our having a coordinator in place during our operating hours.
Health & Safety
BloodFast takes the topic of health and safety very seriously and operates to very strict criteria. Our riders fully appreciate the potential risks involved and are fully trained in advanced riding standards before being permitted to ride on our behalf. Our first priority is and will always be to our riders and those affected by their actions. Bloodfast has fully comprehensive insurance, which includes the use of blue lights and sirens for emergency responses.
We understand the requirements made of us with regard to patient notes, scans etc and the Data Protection Act. Such items should be placed in a sealed envelope where possible and will not be opened by our riders.
All deliveries are closely tracked. Riders must notify the on-duty coordinator when a delivery is collected and completed and also when they return to base. Riders must also notify the coordinator if anything changes with the delivery e.g. at the time of pickup the rider is requested to upgrade the call from Urgent to Emergency. You can request ongoing updates at any time whilst we are in possession of your package via the on duty coordinator.
Riders and coordinators are also made aware of procedures to be followed in the case of spillage of any biological substance carried on the bikes.
Although it is a condition of acceptance that all riders have reached an advanced standard of riding, all riders are periodically checked to ensure that this standard is maintained and are encouraged to seek further training as appropriate. There are strong links with local advanced training organisations, including The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). Several BloodFast members are fully qualified advanced riding/driving instructors and others have independently recognised advanced riding/driving qualifications.
BloodFast has full public and employer's liability insurance cover.
Please note that our service may be withdrawn in extreme weather conditions, as ice, snow and fog are not safe for motorcyclists. We ask for your understanding on the rare occasions that this happens.
