THE Trust that manages Okehampton and Moretonhampstead community hospitals is to benefit from a free out-of-hours emergency courier service, which started this week.

Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust has joined forces with Devon Freewheelers (DFW), a charity that uses motorbikes to transport important medical items such as blood, organs, drugs and breast milk.

A service is being provided between 5pm and 7am on weekdays and 24 hours at weekends and on bank holidays.

It can transport items from any trust property to an agreed address, including to patients' homes and out of Devon if necessary.

Chris Cruise, the trust's deputy general manager for emergency services, said: 'This is a really positive development. Devon Freewheelers will complement the other courier services we use and will offer a number of potential benefits, including reducing discharge delays and ensuring important items are transported between hospitals and to patients' homes in a timely manner.'

DFW was founded by Honiton man Daniel Lavery in 2008 and now provides an out-of-hours response service to each NHS Trust in the county. The charity receives an average of 43 call-outs per week.

Up to 15 volunteer motorbike couriers are on standby throughout the county each night, including three in the Okehampton area. The charity also has a 4x4 emergency vehicle, which is used to cover the service in extreme weather conditions.

Andy Worsley, for DFW, said: 'This new agreement formalises the work we have been doing and brings the prospect of exciting times ahead.

'We are delighted that through the generosity of the public, the NHS across Devon now benefits from this free volunteer emergency service.'

For more information on how you can help the charity, go to http://www.devonfreewheelers.org.uk">www.devonfreewheelers.org.uk