Help us keep blood supply flowing: Air ambulance launches new fund-raising appeal

The charity is launching an appeal to raise £30,000
The charity is launching an appeal to raise £30,000 Credit: Essex and Herts Air Ambulance

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) has launched an appeal to raise £30,000 to help it ferry vital blood supplies to patients.

Every year the service treats around 60 people in need a potentially life-saving blood transfusion at the scene of an incident.

EHAAT's helicopters and rapid response vehicles carry packed red blood cells of blood group O Negative, meaning they can be used on any patient. When required, these are given with plasma, the other major component of human blood.

The packed red blood cells are supplied daily from The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow and delivered to EHAAT's airbases at Earls Colne and North Weald by riders from Essex Voluntary Blood Service.

When the blood is required, it is warmed to body temperature to make it safe to administer to the patient and prevent unnecessary cooling of the patient.

The charity estimates it costs it around £500 to help each of these patients, so it is appealing for 60 people to donate £500 each to get to the £30,000 needed to keep flying blood to those who need it most.

EHAAT's Blood Project Lead Laurie Phillipson said: "Being able to give a transfusion at the scene of an incident can be a life-saving intervention for patients suffering significant bleeding. Our pre-hospital critical care teams can provide this rapidly and safely before the patient reaches hospital."

Find out more about the Blood on Board Appeal