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Midlands Air Ambulance Charity
(Image caption: From front left – Lord Combustion Services director, Emma Tibbetts, blood transfer team volunteer, Peter McCree, Kal Plaha and Matthew Smith from Lord, with Jon Cottrell, senior partnerships executive for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.)
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s new blood delivery vehicle has surpassed the 10,000-mile mark thanks to support from commercial heating and ventilation specialist Lord Combustion Services.
Earlier this year, Lord Combustion Services, based in Oldbury in the West Midlands, funded a new Toyota Yaris for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity. The car, and team of volunteers transport blood and blood products between the Blood Bank at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham and the charity’s Strensham airbase on the Worcestershire / Gloucestershire border.
The blood delivery vehicle has already travelled more than 10,000 miles, making more than 125 round trips.
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity has been carrying blood on-board its three aircraft and fleet of critical care cars since 2017. As part of the team’s advanced clinical skillset, the critical care paramedics and pre-hospital emergency medicine doctors are able to administer blood at the scene of an incident to give patients in critical need the very best chance of survival and a good recovery. To ensure there is no wastage, unused blood products are always returned to the Blood Bank well before an expiration date.
Pam Hodgetts, corporate partnerships manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “Blood products are used for the most critically injured patients who are suffering from catastrophic bleeds and other traumatic injuries.
“The ability to give blood at a scene is essential, and our clinicians could not offer this intervention if there was no suitable vehicle to convey the blood and blood products to our base.
“The car has ensured that blood products have been available to patients in the southern part of our operating patch, including Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire every day since the beginning of March.
“We are extremely grateful for the incredible support provided by Lord Combustion Services, which will help save lives.”
Oldbury-based Lord Combustion Services is a long-term supporter of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, having last year contributed equivalent to the funds for three air ambulance missions and five missions in the pre-hospital service’s fleet of critical cars through donations made at a dinner held to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary.
Stuart Smith, managing director for Lord Combustion Services, added: “As a business that works across the West Midlands to deliver high quality heating and hot water services, we are committed to supporting good causes across the region that matter most to our colleagues and customers.
“Thanks to our partnership with Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and the voluntary transport team we recognise the importance of their work and are pleased to see the new blood vehicle making a positive impact on patient outcomes.”
To find out more about Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s lifesaving work, visit the website and follow the organisation on social media.
For more information about Lord Combustion Services by visiting the website.