Life Saving Treatment Brought To The North East

Newcastle Hospitals partner up with Great North Air Ambulance Service to provide life-saving blood transfusions at the scene

A medical technique used on the battlefields of Afghanistan comes to the North East for the first time after months of research.

 ‘Blood on Board’ a new service to carry blood on the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) was devised by emergency specialists at GNAAS and the Newcastle Hospitals’ Major Trauma Centre, for the benefit of patients across the North-East.

Northumbria Blood Bikes have stepped forward to facilitate the service by delivering blood from the hospital to the air ambulance on a daily basis, 365 days a year.

Blood loss due to serious injuries and accidents kills around 50 people in our region every year.

The most common trauma injuries are road traffic accidents, falls from a great height and assaults.

Rachel Hawes is an emergency doctor with the service - and says this could save up to 50 lives a year in our region.

It means people with severe trauma can be treated at the road-side or at a hill top, instead of having to wait for an ambulance.

Rachel also told Heart being able to treat patients quicker is vital.

It's thanks to a partnership between The Great North Air Ambulance Service, the RVI in Newcastle and the charity Blood Bikes.