THE Great North Air Ambulance Service has celebrated the milestone of 500 patients receiving 'Blood on Board'.

In 2015, GNAAS began carrying blood and plasma on board their aircraft and overnight cars.

This introduction allowed the critical care team to deliver transfusions at the scene of an incident, to the most seriously ill or injured patients, giving them the best chance of survival.

This treatment was not previously possible outside of a hospital setting, and it has now been used to treat 500 patients across the North East and Cumbria.

The pioneering ‘Blood on Board’ scheme is a collaboration between the Newcastle Hospitals, GNAAS and volunteers from the Cumbria and Northumbria Blood Bikes and was devised by Dr Rachel Hawes OBE, army reservist, consultant in anaesthesia and prehospital emergency medicine at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) and doctor at GNAAS.

To honour those that have received this treatment, and celebrate reaching this 500-patient milestone, the collaborative team hosted a special reception at the RVI for patients who have received blood and their loved ones.

Dr Hawes said: “It’s been such a rewarding experience and I can’t believe we’ve now treated 500 patients.

“Knowing that it’s potentially helped to save the lives of people in our communities in the North East and Cumbria has been one of the highlights of my career.”

The event saw patients who wouldn’t have survived without this intervention, and the loved ones of patients who sadly didn’t make it although they received the treatment, come together in one place to meet the teams that impacted their lives.

Dr Hawes added: “When we attend 999 calls of critically ill and injured patients, we get a very brief snapshot of the events that have affected them and care for them at one of the most difficult times in their lives.

“This is often very intense but only a short part of their journey. It’s great to catch up with people and find out how they’re getting on and speak to families who have been involved.”