Aroundtown MEETS
‘‘Since the launch in 2014, South Yorkshire Whiteknights have responded to over 5,000 urgent and emergency calls’’
Thanks to his new boots, being able to assist with Whiteknights’ service has now given Chris a sense of pride and purpose back.
“I have many serious health conditions and felt like my life was going down the pan; I was really struggling. But volunteering at Whiteknights has helped me so much.
Yorkshire’s only female rider, Annette Parker, who had nine calls during one shift. “Every time I got home there was another call and you know when it’s in the middle of the night that these are very important requests for very sick people, particularly children. Getting out of bed and back out on the bike nine times was hard but there is no way you’d ever reject a call or try and sleep. “Afterwards I was absolutely shattered. You might not be able to do much the next day but you know you’ve been part of a machine that’s helped people and that is very valuable,” she says.
The regional record for the most call-outs in one shift from 7pm to 7am is currently held by a former deputy manager of Whiteknights South Yorkshire who responded to 14 calls one night. Since the launch in 2014, South Yorkshire Whiteknights have responded to over 5,000 urgent and emergency calls, averaging more than one per day. Last year, they received 385 calls which included 36 deliveries over the Christmas period. Across Yorkshire as a whole, Whiteknights responded to 1,918 call-outs during 2019. Within the first month of 2020, they received over 200 call-outs for their service, with it set to be another busy year ahead.
Often, due to the urgency of the matter, the race is on to deliver the sample as quickly and safely as possible. Blood bikers have the option to use a flashing blue headlight if there is danger to life but generally they must abide by traffic laws and the Highway Code, meaning they cannot run red lights, exceed speed limits or use the hard shoulder of a motorway like other blue light users can.
Despite their name, they don’t just carry blood like many people assume.
Along with biochemistry and haematology samples, their consignments may also include controlled drugs, vital medical supplies, or even documents and x-rays.
If it wasn’t for Whiteknights, these would be sent in transit by unreliable and unregulated private taxi or courier services – who knows what conditions that vital delivery has been in on its journey.
A litre of donor breast milk for a hospital’s special care baby unit costs around £130 so care needs to be taken to not only control the temperature but prevent any spillages of this liquid gold.
At Whiteknights, their procedure is similar to that of delivering a parcel.
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Each order is given a consignment number which can be tracked and updated by both parties. Samples are kept in sealed containers which are transported in the bike’s pannier. Of course, there is only so much you can fit on the back of a motorbike, so Whiteknights are entrusted with delivering emergency or urgent jobs. Yet a motorbike can transport eight doses of palliative drugs to a hospice whereas an ambulance can only hold two. As an independent charity, Whiteknights saves the NHS serious money each year. It is estimated that for every £1 donated to a blood bike group, the NHS saves £5 which would usually have been spent on expensive private taxi or courier hire. They are also mindful of keeping costs to a minimum within the charity in order to use funds for the bike maintenance and fuel, so volunteers each provide their own equipment which includes boots, trousers, jacket and helmet plus a high-vis standardised uniform for visibility on the roads. For South Yorkshire’s deputy manager, Chris
Taylor, when he joined Whiteknights last August he needed a special pair of boots due to severe arthritis which had left him unable to wear closed- toe shoes for five years due to the pain. He found The Cordwainer in Bradwell, specialist makers of orthopaedic footwear, but their bespoke boots made especially for Chris would cost him £1,500. Fortunately, the Royal British Legion generously paid for his boots, thanks in part to Chris’ father being a former Royal Navy Gunner who was disabled during the war, the explosions perforating his eardrums.
“I’ve ridden bikes since I was eight when my dad brought a clapped-out Honda home. Both he and my mother were avid bikers and Mum was a nurse at the Hallamshire. She’s now got Alzheimer’s and needs care so this is my way of keeping their legacy going,” Chris says. Most regions across the country now have a blood bike group that assists the NHS. Surrounding counties regularly take part in relays whereby samples are delivered across the country via riders from various districts. For example, prenatal genetic testing is only carried out at Bristol so any amniocentesis samples from the Hallamshire need to be delivered to their Fetal Medicine Unit for diagnostic procedures. This summer, a new state-of-the-art NHS Blood
and Transplant Centre is opening in Barnsley just off junction 37 of the M1, relocating from their former base at Leeds Seacroft Hospital. Whilst the service will now be more centralised and obviously closer for the South Yorkshire riders to get to, it will also have a big impact on Whiteknights as a whole due to their North and West riders having further to travel, thus increasing call-out time and costs in fuel. Whiteknights are now hoping they can raise enough money to invest in more bikes and recruit new volunteer riders to help ease the workload and improve waiting times. To join Whiteknights as a rider, you must be at least 30 and an advanced rider with an IAM, RoSPA or Police qualification with no more than six penalty points on your license. There is no upper age limit, with the oldest rider currently in their mid-70s.
If you feel like you could support Whiteknights in any way, from being a rider, to donating money to support the cause, they would love to hear from you.
www.whiteknights.org.uk
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