Project Parity

Over the last couple of decades, the traditional emergency services have come under pressure to achieve financial and operational targets within their core competency. Moving urgent medical packages is not considered a key performance measure in that landscape. With a drive towards fewer local test laboratories, in favour of larger, more efficient, but more distant test centres, the transport element of a patient’s recovery pathway becomes more significant, especially for critically ill patients. The benefit of a UK wide, dedicated rapid response transport solution for the NHS was clear to the founding members of the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (NABB). We set out to promote and inspire local bikers across the country to embark on an ambitious plan to provide the NHS with a robust transport infrastructure, delivered to professional standards, but free of charge to the NHS. Since 2008, the NABB has implemented a roll out plan that has seen the number of blood bike groups rise from 5 to over 40. NABB has also been able to effect significant change in legislation that has generated government recognition of the service and placed it on a more level playing field with regard to the more traditional emergency services.