Ambulance service joins Bleed Kit Partnership to enhance emergency response

The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) has partnered with the Avon and Somerset Bleed Kit Partnership to support potentially lifesaving bleed kits.

The Avon and Somerset Bleed Kit Partnership, run by Avon and Somerset Police and Heartsafe UK, has been successfully working with communities in the South West to install over 500 bleed kits across the region, providing immediate aid in cases of severe bleeding before emergency services arrive. Now, with SWASFT’s involvement, when a 999 call is received relating to life-threatening bleeding, call handlers will be able to identify the nearest bleed kit (using the Heartsafe UK mapping system), direct bystanders to it and support them in following the instructions where appropriate, improving the chances of survival.

These emergency kits are placed in key public locations, providing essential equipment to help control significant blood loss in the critical moments before emergency services arrive. While often associated with knife crime, bleed kits are designed to be used in any incident involving severe bleeding — from road traffic collisions and agricultural accidents to sporting injuries.

This collaboration underscores SWASFT’s commitment to community safety and the importance of rapid intervention in life-threatening medical emergencies and is the first partnership of this kind with an ambulance service nationally.

Craig Wilkins, Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care at South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are proud to be collaborating with the Avon and Somerset Bleed Kit Partnership to make these essential kits more accessible in emergencies. At SWASFT, we are always looking for innovative ways to enhance patient care and strengthen our partnerships with other agencies. By supporting our call handlers to identify nearby kits, we can ensure that bystanders can quickly locate and use a bleed kit, providing potentially lifesaving assistance while awaiting an ambulance.

“When someone is bleeding heavily, phoning 999 and trying to stop the bleed is essential to help save their life. Knowing basic first aid can often make a big difference in the moments before an ambulance arrives on scene, and we would encourage everyone to learn these vital skills. Our call takers are trained to provide immediate advice and support to callers so they can administer first aid before medical help arrives. If a bleed kit is available nearby and someone can retrieve it, the call taker will direct them to its location and guide them through its use. This coordinated approach ensures that critical interventions can begin as soon as possible, improving patient outcomes in those crucial moments.”

Chief Inspector Mike Vass at Avon and Somerset Police, said: “This partnership with SWASFT is a huge step forward in making the Avon and Somerset Partnership bleed kits as effective and accessible as possible. Having them officially recognised and supported by the ambulance service ensures that the public can be immediately directed to the nearest Avon and Somerset bleed kit site and more lives can potentially be saved. SWASFT’s official joining of the partnership supports the key principles of the consistent scalable model of instant access community supported bleed kits. It’s been a lot of work to get to this point and our hope is that we will work together with NHS England to launch our partnership model nationally to protect all communities.”

Each bleed kit contains a selection of carefully chosen emergency medical equipment, designed for simplicity and maximum impact. Rather than replicating the advanced care of an ambulance crew, the kits focus on key interventions that can stop or slow blood loss and prevent a patient’s condition from deteriorating.

Anyone wishing to support the partnership or purchase a kit for their community should contact Avon and Somerset Police directly at communitybleedkit@avonandsomerset.police.uk or by visiting www.heartsafe.org.uk/bleed-kit-homepage.

Members of the public can check the location of their nearest bleed kit by visiting: https://www.heartsafe.org.uk/bleed-kit-map/.