EAAA and Blood Bikes

Since 2021, EAAA has performed blood transfusions as a core part of the 24/7 life-saving service. We couldn’t do this without our relationship with local Blood Bike charities, Norfolk Blood Bikes and SERV Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, whose volunteers ensure that EAAA has packed red blood cells daily.

A blood transfusion at the scene means that gravely injured patients who are suffering a significant bleed have the best chance of getting to hospital thanks to the increased oxygen delivery and clot production that a transfusion provides. In 2023, 72 of the trauma patients attended by EAAA were given blood at the scene of the incident. Sandy Gourlay, Chairman of Norfolk Blood Bikes, says: “Our volunteers provide an essential service each night, getting the blood cells from respective hospitals to EAAA, ready to be administered to patients experiencing medical emergencies.” Norfolk Blood Bikes deliver the blood products to EAAA at Norwich Airport, and SERV Suffolk and Cambridgeshire deliver them to the EAAA at Cambridge Airport. These arrive in temperature controlled, insulated blood boxes and are transferred to a secure fridge at the base. Any unused blood cells from previous missions are returned back to the hospital. The fresh blood products are then carefully loaded onto EAAA helicopters and rapid response vehicles by clinicians the next morning, ready for taskings.

Serving Norfolk

Also delivering to NHS hospitals and more recently supporting the Human Milk Foundation, Norfolk Blood Bikes is now tasked on average 2,300 times each year. At the time of writing, they are approaching their 20,000th task since they were founded in 2010. Since 2018, they have made 2,282 nightly deliveries of blood from the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital to Helimed House, which equates to 4,564 boxes of blood.

Serving Suffolk and Cambridgeshire

SERV Suffolk and Cambridgeshire volunteers operate 24/7, every day they support their local NHS hospitals, air ambulance services, donated human milk banks and hospices in delivering urgently needed blood, blood products, human donated milk and medicines. Each evening, one of the SERV volunteers makes a delivery from Addenbrooke’s Hospital to EAAA at Cambridge Airport, collects the used and unused boxes and returns these back to Addenbrooke’s ready for resupply and replenishment. SERV Chairman, Cindy Dickerson, says: “Having previously worked for EAAA and seen the work they do, it is a pleasure to bring our two charities together to help save lives.” Thank you to the incredible volunteers of Norfolk Blood Bikes and SERV Suffolk and Cambridgeshire who donate their driving skills, time, costs and kindness to save the lives of others.