Service By Emergency Rider Volunteers (SERV)

In Sussex, volunteer bike riders and drivers work on a rota waiting to respond to urgent calls relayed via their county controller. On request, SERV Sussex collects and securely delivers lab samples between hospitals and from hospitals to London. We also transport life-saving blood and blood products using an insulated, National Blood Service (NBS)-approved box. We also transport human breast milk on request from donors to treatment centres and from these centres to a number of hospitals  in the South-East. SERV volunteers generally use their own machines and pay for the petrol themselves; they receive no money for this all and all officers of the charity are unpaid volunteers. All of the population in the South-East benefit from our service; we support the population as a whole, regardless of race, gender, ethnic group, disability or sexual preference. 

      The use of a marked bike, car or 4x4 is also a possibility; following a series of fund raising events over many years, SERV Sussex has purchased a number of dedicated vehicles to facilitate such secure deliveries. These vehicles are used for riders/drivers who have been independently assessed and who can ensure cover any night of the week, when requested. Through public donations, SERV Sussex pays for the fuel, insurance and upkeep of these dedicated vehicles.  

    Our goal is to rise to the ever-increasing requests of support from the local NHS Trusts. In addition to supporting milkbanks, for the NHS Community Foundation Trust, we provide a free service to the children’s nursing teams in the Sussex area, delivering machinery, supplies and facilitating servicing of machines for children in long-term care in their home. This is particularly helpful to disadvantaged children who do not have access to transport to collect their supplies needed.