A Cork hospital has launched a potentially life-saving service with the National Ambulance Service (NAS) to assist patients in need of blood in emergency situations.

Cork University Hospital (CUH) has launched a pre-hospital blood transfusion service in collaboration with the National Ambulance Service, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service and the hospital’s transfusion laboratory.

The collaboration will see blood being transfused to critically injured and ill patients at the scenes of emergency incidents.

The process will be overseen by pre-hospital doctors.

Consultant in Emergency Medicine at CUH, Dr Conor Deasy, told The Echo the new initiative has the potential to save lives.

“This will see blood being transfused to critically injured and ill patients at the scenes of clinical incidents overseen by our pre-hospital doctors.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank blood donors who so graciously give their blood that we see save lives on a daily basis,” he added.

The collaboration was announced the same day the National Ambulance Service revealed a new motorcycle for its emergency motorcycle response unit here in Cork.

Two paramedics underwent training, learning to respond to emergency calls on specially-equipped motorcycles within minutes.

Virgin Media News reported that the new service, which contains trauma kits, oxygen and other life-saving equipment, has responded to 200 emergency calls in recent weeks.