21 June 2018
Since early 2016 Blood Bike Scotland have been working with us to help ensure that important medical supplies get where they need to go.
Their small team of dedicated volunteers uses four specially adapted high-visibility motorcycles and an electric scooter to provide free transportation of medical items for us. This service reduces our taxi and courier transport needs and, as a result, the amount of money we need to spend on them.
The 24/7 ad hoc service delivers items to and from the Borders General Hospital (BGH), Community Hospitals across the Borders, and patient homes as well as other health boards. These items can include equipment, medical records, emergency medication, baby milk and urgent blood samples.
Our partnership with Blood Bike Scotland can enhance patient experience through transporting specialised medical items directly to patient homes when necessary; for example delivering breast milk to premature babies who have arrived home from the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU).
In the last year alone our use of the service has quadrupled, rising from an average of around five transport 'runs' a month to twenty.
John Baxter, Chairman of Blood Bike Scotland, said: "Our volunteers love riding motorbikes and giving back to the community, so this partnership has provided a great opportunity to utilise these drives locally in the Borders. Over the years we have built a good foundation; and we are now exploring ways to build on this. Our objective is to help NHS Borders to continue improving patient care and services."
Cliff Sharp, Medical Director of NHS Borders, commented: "We have been delighted to work well with Blood Bike Scotland for some time, and the success of their service has recently sparked exciting new conversations about how our relationship can develop in the future. We strive to continually improve patient care and enhance patient experience in the Borders, and welcome partnership working to do so."