About Us
We provide a free, 24/7 urgent medical courier service for the NHS across Derbyshire.
Who Are We?
Derbyshire Blood Bikes is a registered charity (Number 1143149).
All our services are funded by public donations and provided free to the NHS. By reducing the number of private couriers and taxi use we can save the NHS money that can be spent elsewhere.
Missions in 2023
Not Just Blood
While we are called the Blood Bikes, we courier so much more. We carry urgent diagnostic samples, frozen breast milk, patient medication and much more to wherever it needs to be.
When one of Derbyshire’s rural hospitals needs a sample analysed at a larger hospital miles away – we can get it there. We’ve delivered urgent medication to vulnerable patients at home. During lockdown we helped distribute much needed supplies between NHS facilities. Whatever we carry, our trained volunteers deliver it safely and professionally.
Next time you have a blood sample taken it could be one of our volunteer riders that gets it to the labs for testing
Derbyshire and Beyond
You’ll see our bikes and cars across Derbyshire and maybe a little further afield. Being a rural county our riders often traverse the county from South Derbyshire to the northern moors of Buxton and Glossop.
While most of our pick-ups originate from within Derbyshire we’ll deliver to where-ever it needs to go. We are often asked to deliver to Sheffield, Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester. Occasionally we’ll be heading down to London or even across to Wales. We also meet up with other Blood Bike groups to relay items. In short , we’ll get it to where it needs to be!
Urgent, Reliable, Safe
We always operate within law and regulations that apply to all the motoring public. Motorbikes allow us, where appropriate and legal, to make better progress than in a car, especially where we find standing traffic..
Our friendly riders are all advanced motorcyclists and want to use their skills to help. If you see one of our liveried bikes, please give us a wave, nod or say hi… and give us a little extra room to pass.
A Free Service Run By Volunteers
A common misconception is that we are funded by the NHS. Derbyshire Blood Bikes is 100% run by volunteers and funded by public donations.
Our dedicated riders, controllers and other valued team members all provide their time and skills for free.
Can I Volunteer?
We train and recruit volunteers at different times of the year. We’ll be recruiting again in Spring 2024.
Further details will be posted here nearer the time.