Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisCurvyS
I work for the NBS (now NHS Blood and Transplant) and I can tell you with absolute certainty that we do run a 24/7 delivery service with cars and vans (no bikes) - it doesn't have to be an emergency for us to deliver out-of-hours either.
The difference is, we make a small charge to cover our costs for the out-of-hours deliveries whereas the blood bikes don't as they're funded by members/donations, so that's why cash-strapped hospitals are increasingly using them.
It's a bit of a touchy one politically - obviously the SERV riders want to do a good thing and put in a lot of commitment, but it does make our drivers fear for their jobs and I think the unions see it as a potential slippery slope to volunteers replacing other NHS professions.
I can appreciate both sides myself and I did start signing up for NW Blood Bikes before I joined NHSBT and realised there's more to the issue than I first realised. It's a depressing thought but I suppose it's a good idea to make sure your job isn't fun/rewarding/exciting enough that people will do it for free.
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That's sort of what I had heard, but wasn't sure it was a current thought. I know that it did become a bit of an issue in Essex, so maybe that's why the site's down.
Personally I can see both points of view on this, although I am firmly against non professionals using blue lights and sirens.