Air ambulance starts life-saving transfusions

From today blood for life saving transfusions will be kept onboard the Great North Air Ambulance.

It's the first time ever it's been tried in the north of England - in the past it's been too difficult as blood needs to be kept at a particular temperature.

But 50 people in our region die from blood loss every year, and this means many more lives could be saved while in the air.

The idea was taken from doctors who worked in Afghanistan.

Watch Frances Read's report.