Biker charity offers NHS delivery

Paid couriers cost £10 per job to deliver between the two hospitals

A charity which delivers emergency medical supplies to hospitals is planning to set up a Merseyside branch.

The Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers, or SERV, delivers urgent medical equipment and blood out-of-hours and free of charge.

The motorcyclists give up their free time, pay for their own fuel and make deliveries around the clock.

Co-ordinator Dave Sammons said it would save the local NHS £75,000 a year which could be put back into patient care.

The charity already operates in the south east, south Midlands and East Anglia.

The organisation covers 11 hours a night, 365 days a year and is planning to set up a local base.

Dedicated riders

It says as part of that, it also wants to set up a specialist group handling deliveries to and from the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen hospitals

Mr Sammons added: "All of our guys give up their time, and their fuel and their use of their personal vehicles to provide the NHS with an out of hours delivery courier service."

Two dedicated riders will be based on Merseyside to deal with the two to three calls expected from the Liverpool hospitals each night.

The service, set up 27 years ago, already operates in the South Midlands and East Anglia aims to "give something back" to the public health service.