A decision by the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) to introduce blood products on board its helicopters and rapid response cars has been credited with saving nearly 750 lives. Since 2015, this groundbreaking move has allowed the critical care team to deliver vital blood transfusions at the scene of accidents, improving the chances of survival for the most critically injured individuals.
The idea was conceived by Dr Rachel Hawes, a doctor on the air ambulance service, who was inspired after her deployment in Afghanistan, where blood products were used to save soldiers. She saw firsthand the difference it made to survival rates and was determined to bring the concept to the UK. “Many patients would not have survived without the service, it’s had a fantastic impact,” she said.
Every day, two sister charities, Blood Bikes Cumbria and Northumbria Blood Bikes, collect a cool box of red blood cells and plasma from the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle. These blood products are then transported to the two GNAAS bases in the North East and Cumbria, ready to be carried on board the air ambulances and night-time rapid response vehicles.
Motorcyclist Rob Hope from Brampton, Cumbria, is a testament to the life-saving benefits of this service. In May 2018, after a collision with a van in Aspatria, Rob was given both blood and plasma on the roadside. He reflects, “I’m living proof I wouldn’t be here if the charity didn’t carry blood. I would have died on the tarmac, even the surgeons in the hospital have said I should be dead.”
Dr. Hawes emphasises how carrying blood has transformed the care provided to major trauma patients, especially in critical moments when every second counts. “It’s fantastic to have an idea, see that get pushed through to clinical practice and then go on to make a positive difference for patients and families,” she said. “It’s just been such an amazing thing to be involved with.”
Thanks to this innovative service, countless lives have been saved, and the ability to administer life-saving blood products in those crucial first moments of trauma continues to make a tangible difference across the North East and Cumbria.
