‘We simply want to help the NHS’

CHARITY LifeSavers Scotland was set up three years ago by motorcycle instructor Jim Harley to help deliver critical medical supplies for the NHS.

Using a fleet of blue light vehicles the staff of highly-trained riders and emergency response drivers volunteer their time for the charity.

Jim, 49, who has been instructing riders for more than 20 years, said: “Our aim is simply to help the NHS. Just about all of the volunteers have a personal reason for doing so.

“All we want to do is to keep as much money in the NHS as possible to pay for doctors and nurses.”

Since 2013 the charity has carried out more than 1000 deliveries a year, mostly on behalf of NHS Lanarkshire, which would otherwise have cost a minimum of £50 each time.

LifeSavers has 25 response-trained drivers, including former police motorcyclists and fire brigade training commanders.

Incredibly, the charity was criticised earlier this year as its volunteers sometimes use blue lights and sirens when carrying blood plasma, medical equipment or even transplant organs.

Jim, a senior instructor at Harley’s Rider Training in East Kilbride, said: “We’ve had no complaints from the public, nor have we had any directly from other emergency services.

“There have also been no accidents involving our guys over the past three years. Not so much as a mirror scratched.

“Blue lights are only deployed when the request for what is being transported is urgent.

“It’s been said our drivers have not been trained to drive at high speed, that’s right, they are not supposed to break the speed limit.”

NHS Lanarkshire said the support LifeSavers provides is essential.

Indeed, charity workers carried out more than 1200 separate deliveries last year. NHS Lanarkshire’s head of planning, Graham Johnston, said: “We are very grateful to LifeSavers Scotland for their very important contribution to our out-of-hours transport provision.

“We particularly recognise the organisation depends on members of the public who give up a great deal of their time as unpaid volunteers to assist the delivery of patient services.”