Without these unsung heroes many patients would have their treatment delayed

Submitted by Alistair Penny, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

During the height of Covid the patients on Turner Ward and the RGDU were relocated to Newton Abbot for their own safety. This presented many logistical problems with the transferring of urgent Chemotherapy drugs and a constant supply of Blood Products.

Our two drivers, Ian and Alan would spend all day driving backwards and forwards with little rest. They were constantly juggling when to pick up Chemotherapy drugs and timing this with urgent requests for blood and platelets.

On many occasions we had to ask them to ‘wait’ for 5-10 minutes whilst we completed a Cross-Match or asked them to come back with a patient sample as soon as possible in order for us to issue red cells. Many of these requests were deemed urgent as the patients were day cases, so time was of the essence. On occasions this meant they had to work late. Nothing seemed to be too much to ask of them.