Support Your
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity
Image Caption: (LtR) Blood Transfer Volunteer Team, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, Emma Tibbetts,
Stuart Smith, Greg Jones, all from Lord Combustion Services Ltd
In March 2024, commercial heating and ventilation experts, Lord Combustion Services, proudly funded a new Toyota Yaris to support the transportation of blood and blood products.
Previously, organisations like Midlands Air Ambulance Charity relied on the Blood Bikes, a non-profit service providing crucial transportation for healthcare organisations. When this service was no longer available for the charity’s Strensham airbase, Lord Combustion Services stepped in to ensure the charity could continue its essential operations.
The charity’s dedicated team of volunteers use the car to transport blood and blood products between the Blood Bank at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham (QEHB) and the Strensham airbase, located on the Worcestershire/Gloucestershire border. In its first year of service, the blood delivery vehicle has already covered over 32,000 miles and completed 320 round trips. The vehicle has made a significant impact on the charity’s ability to deliver emergency care on the scene. Unused blood products are always returned to the Blood Bank well before their expiration date, ensuring no waste.
Gill Clerici, from Worcestershire, blood transfer team volunteer, said: "The blood transfer team facilitate a vital link between us all going about our daily lives and those literally lifesaving moments that we tend to forget about. I love the interactions at the QEHB desk and at Strensham with staff. Blood is such a precious and rare commodity, so it’s rewarding to know I’m contributing to Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s vital work.”
Since 2017, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity has been carrying blood on board its three aircraft and fleet of critical care cars. Thanks to the expertise of their critical care paramedics and pre-hospital emergency medicine doctors, blood can be administered on-site. In cases of significant blood loss, this capability gives patients the best chance of survival and recovery. The charity relies on having an appropriate vehicle to ensure this support.
Stuart Smith, managing director for Lord Combustion Services, added: “We are proud to support Midlands Air Ambulance Charity. We’re delighted to have contributed to the continuation of the blood delivery service and to see the positive impact the vehicle has already made in just one year.”
The charity is looking to expand its team of volunteer drivers to continue this valuable service. Anyone in the Worcestershire area who is interested in joining the team can contact Midlands Air Ambulance Charity volunteer Peter McCree, blood transfer team co-ordinator, at peter.mccree@btinternet.com for more details.
For further information on the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and its essential work, please visit the website.
For further information on Lord Combustion Services, visit lordcombustion.co.uk