The ‘bloodrunners’ transporting Covid samples for testing

A dedicated band of volunteers has stepped up to help the NHS during its hour of need. Oliver Kemp reports.

A charity set up in Medway to courier blood and samples between hospitals across

Kent is now operating around the clock to support the NHS during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

ServKent’s 175 volunteers, also known as ‘bloodrunners,’ are working 24/7 transporting biological products between hospitals and trusts, including suspected Covid-19 samples for testing.

Usually operating outside of normal working hours and during weekends, the charity have decided to significantly increased their presence on the roads in response to the pandemic.

Chris Taylor, a company director who has been volunteering as a bloodrunner for six years, said: “In recent weeks with the virus there has been more demand for our services, so we took the decision last week to go 24 hours a day.

“There was a need for it from hospitals – they do have their own transportation but there was a need to move things more swiftly.

“If things need moving a little quicker we can get a member there straight away, they can pick up whatever is required and take it to wherever it has to go.”

Mr Taylor was overwhelmed by the response from bloodrunner volunteers when they were made aware the new rotas would be 24/7.

He said: “They’re full for the next five weeks, which is astounding really when you think that most of these people are paying for their own fuel as well.

“Our members have really stepped up.”

The volunteers are a 50/50 split of motorbike riders and car drivers who use their own vehicles, working all over Kent and responding to callouts from NHS trusts.

The charity serves hospitals across the county including QEQM in Margate, Kent & Canterbury, Buckland Hospital in Dover, Royal Victoria in Folkestone, William Harvey in Ashford, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Medway Maritime and Darent Valley in Dartford.

They also support hospices around the county and deliver blood supplies to Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex in Rochester everyday. Alongside the scheduled volunteers, there is a group of readily-available quick response riders who have been given additional training by Kent Police to respond to urgent callouts.

Their work in the past few weeks has included ferrying suspected Covid-19 samples to hospitals and trusts which have the capacity to test them.

The 55-year-old said: “We’ve moved Covid-19 between hospitals – only some hospitals can do the testing, certainly the smaller ones can’t do it.

“They have their own transport but sometimes they need to move things a little quicker, and that’s where we can help out.”

The charity said without their services, deliveries would often have to be made by other means including police or ambulance services, which takes a finite resource off of the road.

Mr Taylor said: “One of the things we are struggling with at the moment is fundraising.”

He estimates it costs around £40,000 a year to run the charity, with costs going towards hi-vis jackets, boxes to store the blood products and samples and insurance for the riders.

With the charity handling nearly 3,000 calls annually, 2020 could be their busiest year yet.

If you can spare for cash to help, please visit the website www.servkent.co.uk/sponsors. html to donate and help the team.

Volunteers are working across the county to courier blood and samples to hospitals during the virus health emergency

Chris Taylor has volunteered for a number of years