At our meeting on 31 March 2016 Mark Green joined us to chat about The Freewheelers and the role of a volunteer. The Freewheelers is one of our chosen charities so it is good to know how our donation is used.
Here are some notes from his presentation:-
The main focus of this Freewheeler Group is Musgrove Park Hospital – deliveries to and from being a regular feature in an average shift.
There is no relationship with the NHS or the Blood service – Freewheelers are an independent charity relying totally on volunteers – the service they provide is free to the NHS and they rely completely on donations.
If the NHS used taxis to transport the items couriered by the Freewheelers the annual cost would be £275000. Additionally, some controlled drugs could not be transported in a regular taxi. The Freewheelers costs are £110000 per annum – this clearly offers excellent value for money but also costs the NHS nothing at all.
This Freewheelers group covers Somerset, Bristol, Bath and West Wiltshire - a large
distance to travel in mostly rural areas.
Recently the group has been concentrating on working closely with The Air Ambulance – this has seen significant improvements in the service being offered.
There are three riders on duty at any given time plus a reserve rider who must be peripatetic – it is often the reserve rider who will cover the Air Ambulance runs.
These runs involve taking freshly donated “O”negative blood to Filton and Devizes for the helicopter. If the blood is not used it is taken back to Bristol to be kept in stock – it is never wasted.
Freshly donated blood is the best and “O”negative can be given to anyone – no matter what blood type. Traditionally saline is used in emergency situations – simply fluid to ensure the body has sufficient to keep the heart pumping. Clearly the best quality blood is far better, and, in the first three months of the new system a total of 15 people were saved – for these the saline would not have been enough to keep them alive. The blood is chilled but the AA crew have the equipment to warm it as it is being given to the patient.
The vital cog in the Freewheeler operation is the co-ordinator. They have to decide on the urgency level and despatch the most appropriate rider – only 1% of calls are emergencies, the highest proportion are “urgent” – others are labelled “routine”. Items carried regularly are “samples” going to Musgrove for testing. Breast milk is also transported to the neo natal unit at Musgrove.
Anyone can call in and so the co-ordinator’s job is challenging to say the least. They have been asked to carry items such as a walking frame and even a wheelchair!
Our Freewheelers do not carry organs – the amount of additional equipment needed on the bike would more than double the adaption costs and the calls would be minimal as the NHS has their own system in place.
The riders are not Police and they must adhere to the speed limit and not go through red lights! The motorcycles have a tracker so that the co-ordinator can ensure the rider is on the move and safe. If a bike stops whilst on a call and the rider is not responding to his phone the police will be called as a matter of course. The rider always makes contact on arrival at the destination.
Approximately 4000 jobs are carried out each year.
There are over 50 volunteers in this group using 8 bikes. The lifetime of a bike is two to two and a half years. Two new bikes are purchased and adapted each year. Servicing is carried out by the A&S Police at cost. The bikes are moved around to ensure the mileage covered is similar on each vehicle.
2015 marked their 25th anniversary and a book was produced.
RIDING FOR LIFE is available from Amazon and all monies from sales go to the charity. The book sets out the origins of the Freewheelers and tells it’s story to date. It contains many stories – some sad and some hilarious. Sounds like a good read. The link below will be on our Club website so you can simply click and buy.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Riding-For-Life-Freewheelers-Emergency/dp/1519391080
The Freewheelers always need volunteer riders and of course, funds.
Here are some notes from his presentation:-
The main focus of this Freewheeler Group is Musgrove Park Hospital – deliveries to and from being a regular feature in an average shift.
There is no relationship with the NHS or the Blood service – Freewheelers are an independent charity relying totally on volunteers – the service they provide is free to the NHS and they rely completely on donations.
If the NHS used taxis to transport the items couriered by the Freewheelers the annual cost would be £275000. Additionally, some controlled drugs could not be transported in a regular taxi. The Freewheelers costs are £110000 per annum – this clearly offers excellent value for money but also costs the NHS nothing at all.
This Freewheelers group covers Somerset, Bristol, Bath and West Wiltshire - a large
distance to travel in mostly rural areas.
Recently the group has been concentrating on working closely with The Air Ambulance – this has seen significant improvements in the service being offered.
There are three riders on duty at any given time plus a reserve rider who must be peripatetic – it is often the reserve rider who will cover the Air Ambulance runs.
These runs involve taking freshly donated “O”negative blood to Filton and Devizes for the helicopter. If the blood is not used it is taken back to Bristol to be kept in stock – it is never wasted.
Freshly donated blood is the best and “O”negative can be given to anyone – no matter what blood type. Traditionally saline is used in emergency situations – simply fluid to ensure the body has sufficient to keep the heart pumping. Clearly the best quality blood is far better, and, in the first three months of the new system a total of 15 people were saved – for these the saline would not have been enough to keep them alive. The blood is chilled but the AA crew have the equipment to warm it as it is being given to the patient.
The vital cog in the Freewheeler operation is the co-ordinator. They have to decide on the urgency level and despatch the most appropriate rider – only 1% of calls are emergencies, the highest proportion are “urgent” – others are labelled “routine”. Items carried regularly are “samples” going to Musgrove for testing. Breast milk is also transported to the neo natal unit at Musgrove.
Anyone can call in and so the co-ordinator’s job is challenging to say the least. They have been asked to carry items such as a walking frame and even a wheelchair!
Our Freewheelers do not carry organs – the amount of additional equipment needed on the bike would more than double the adaption costs and the calls would be minimal as the NHS has their own system in place.
The riders are not Police and they must adhere to the speed limit and not go through red lights! The motorcycles have a tracker so that the co-ordinator can ensure the rider is on the move and safe. If a bike stops whilst on a call and the rider is not responding to his phone the police will be called as a matter of course. The rider always makes contact on arrival at the destination.
Approximately 4000 jobs are carried out each year.
There are over 50 volunteers in this group using 8 bikes. The lifetime of a bike is two to two and a half years. Two new bikes are purchased and adapted each year. Servicing is carried out by the A&S Police at cost. The bikes are moved around to ensure the mileage covered is similar on each vehicle.
2015 marked their 25th anniversary and a book was produced.
RIDING FOR LIFE is available from Amazon and all monies from sales go to the charity. The book sets out the origins of the Freewheelers and tells it’s story to date. It contains many stories – some sad and some hilarious. Sounds like a good read. The link below will be on our Club website so you can simply click and buy.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Riding-For-Life-Freewheelers-Emergency/dp/1519391080
The Freewheelers always need volunteer riders and of course, funds.