URGENT... BLOOD... in an old Honda Civic?
Discussion
Just had a strange experience driving home from seeing family. Saw a car approaching in my rear view mirror on some dual carriageway with a fairly light blue glow coming from inside the cabin, and could see as it got closer I realised it was a sign saying "URGENT - BLOOD" actually inside the cabin of the car. Assuming it to be something ambulance like or some other kind of emergency vehicle I pulled out of the way, only to be passed by a V reg Honda Civic, in black, with what sounded like a sports exhaust and had aftermarket black painted alloys on it?! It also had another warning sticker stuck on the outside advising that it was carrying blood.
Now I know Honda's are generally reliable and so forth, but I sort of assumed something carrying blood (especially if it were URGENT) would be in something more modern / new, and something more appropriately liveried?!
The sign inside the car looked about the size of a 15" monitor display and probably in the position of where the passenger seat headrest would be - quite a bright white / blue colour (almost like xenon headlights) with red or black text. No flashing blue lights or anything to signify it as being an emergency vehicle.
Baffling. Private hospital? Or do the NHS run round blood in old Honda Civic's?!
Now I know Honda's are generally reliable and so forth, but I sort of assumed something carrying blood (especially if it were URGENT) would be in something more modern / new, and something more appropriately liveried?!
The sign inside the car looked about the size of a 15" monitor display and probably in the position of where the passenger seat headrest would be - quite a bright white / blue colour (almost like xenon headlights) with red or black text. No flashing blue lights or anything to signify it as being an emergency vehicle.
Baffling. Private hospital? Or do the NHS run round blood in old Honda Civic's?!
NHSBT uses TNT as courier of choice - TNT sub contracts so could be any vehicle. It won't have had blue lights though or been urgent in the "blue light" sense. All routine, ad-hoc and blue light blood deliveries use livered up vans with blue lights should urgency change, unlike to have been carrying blood for use urgently in a hospital, unless every other fleet vehicle or driver was already out.
Slightly off topic, but an entity named "Abbott Hospital2Home" supply liquid food and the means to deliver it to patients in the community who use a "feeding PEG" (a tube direct into their stomach because they can't swallow safely) on behalf of the NHS.
The courier who delivers here (my wife is fed this way) is City Link (just looked at a couple of the boxes in stock here at home), and we get all kinds of battered white vans turning up with deliveries - but the drivers (and their mates) are very friendly, helpful and reliable
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We've had two deliveries of continence pads (my wife needs them) from the NHS thus far as well, and I suspect from memory (of comments made by the drivers, who I'm also starting to recognise) that City Link are the preferred courier in this case as well (though I've thrown the boxes away, I have the paperwork somewhere but it's late at night...). Again, battered white vans turn up but the drivers & their mates are very friendly and the service faultless .
It's surprising just who the NHS might use for important but planned deliveries...
The courier who delivers here (my wife is fed this way) is City Link (just looked at a couple of the boxes in stock here at home), and we get all kinds of battered white vans turning up with deliveries - but the drivers (and their mates) are very friendly, helpful and reliable
.We've had two deliveries of continence pads (my wife needs them) from the NHS thus far as well, and I suspect from memory (of comments made by the drivers, who I'm also starting to recognise) that City Link are the preferred courier in this case as well (though I've thrown the boxes away, I have the paperwork somewhere but it's late at night...). Again, battered white vans turn up but the drivers & their mates are very friendly and the service faultless
.It's surprising just who the NHS might use for important but planned deliveries...
Taxi firm I worked with had a contract with Health Board, and we delivered blood and samples for analysis on a regular basis.
Mainly to Glasgow (150 mile round trip) but transferred blood to Wiltshire (over 650 miles round trip!) a few times.
Also delivered patient case-notes and X-rays by taxi.
Best taxi fares we ever had - just secure samples in the boot and away you go. Guaranteed payment with nobody trying to do a runner, threaten to throw up in your car or wanting to fight you. Loved doing them.
Often called up late at night so nice easy cruise up a quiet motorway.
Mainly to Glasgow (150 mile round trip) but transferred blood to Wiltshire (over 650 miles round trip!) a few times.
Also delivered patient case-notes and X-rays by taxi.
Best taxi fares we ever had - just secure samples in the boot and away you go. Guaranteed payment with nobody trying to do a runner, threaten to throw up in your car or wanting to fight you. Loved doing them.
Often called up late at night so nice easy cruise up a quiet motorway.
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