Onboard blood transfusions introduced by KSSAA
From 4 February, blood is being carried on the Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance (KSSAA) charity’s two helicopters to allow the specialist doctor and paramedic teams to carry out transfusions at the scene of medical emergencies. The service is one of the first UK helicopter air ambulance services to do this outside of London.
From 4 February, blood is being carried on the Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance (KSSAA) charity’s two helicopters to allow the specialist doctor and paramedic teams to carry out transfusions at the scene of medical emergencies. The service is one of the first UK helicopter air ambulance services to do this outside of London.
The charity reported that the launch of the new blood transfusion service has only been made possible by a unique charity partnership between the KSSAA, the Henry Surtees Foundation and SERV (Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers) and National Health Service (NHS) partners – the East Surrey and William Harvey Hospitals and NHS Blood and Transplant.
John Surtees, founder of the Henry Surtees Foundation, presented a cheque for £25,000 to air ambulance chief executive Adrian Bell at the Marden base of the charity. The foundation has funded the cost of the blood transfusion equipment onboard the aircraft, and has also funded two Honda CRV cars for the transportation of blood in all weathers, once again bringing together the name of John Surtees and Honda, who he drove for as a racing driver in the late 60s.
John Surtees said: “A large part of my life has been spent on the racing tracks of the world trying to save time. I am very grateful to all of those who have helped the Henry Surtees Foundation provide [KSSAA] with blood transfusion equipment and the Honda vehicles to transport the blood. The speedy delivery of this new service to the scene of an emergency will help save lives and injury.”
SERV (Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers) will take delivery of the new cars, which will allow them to transport blood in special temperature-controlled containers to the air ambulance bases at Marden and Redhill on a daily basis and in all weathers. The blood stocks will be kept at the William Harvey Hospital at Ashford and the East Surrey Hospital at Redhill, where SERV will pick up and return any un-used supplies to the hospitals so that none is wasted.
Until now, the air ambulance has only been able to replace lost fluids with a saline solution, and patients requiring transfusions were taken to hospitals. Now, this advanced medical procedure can be carried out at the scene of an accident or emergency.
Chief executive Adrian Bell said: “I consider the carrying of blood products on the air ambulance to be a very exciting development. It is a major step forward for the charity in the way we look after the patient and give them the best possible service. What is equally exciting is the partnership that we have, with three charities working together along with two hospitals and NHS Blood and Transplant to make all of this happen.”
Photo: (left to right) Paul Ormond, general manager corporate affairs, Honda UK; John Surtees, Founder Henry Surtees Foundation; Dr Malcolm Russell, clinical lead, KSSAA; Adrian Bell, chief executive, KSSAA; John Kidd, SERV Kent (courtesy KSSAA)