The Red Cross helps out at Stoke Mandeville to beat the freeze

Mohammad Waqar (right) with his colleague Tim Wooster (left)

The Red Cross runs a regular Home from Hospital service, funded by Buckinghamshire County Council, transporting patients home after a hospital visit. However, the team has called on their emergency response colleagues to help keep the service running through the snowy conditions.

A 4x4 vehicle and emergency response volunteer driver, Paul Kinsman, will support Mohammad Waqar – a Red Cross support worker based at the hospital – to transport those who have been discharged by medical staff but have no other way of returning home.

After driving them back, the Red Cross volunteers will assist them inside, make sure the heating is on and that everything they need is close at hand.

As well as providing a personal service to the patient, it also helps relieve pressure on hospital staff by freeing up much needed resources.

Penny Brown, who co-ordinates the Home from Hospital service in Buckinghamshire, said: “Unfortunately, we’re unable to use our usual vehicles because of the snow, but having access to the 4x4 will mean that we can continue to provide a service to the NHS and help keep the Red Cross service running.”

The charity’s emergency response teams across the country are supporting emergency planning colleagues to help any vulnerable people who may be cut off by the snow.

For more information on the British Red Cross please visit: redcross.org.uk

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