London buses turned into ambulances to ease Covid strain
January 21, 2021, 12:16 pm

London buses turned into ambulances to ease Covid strain

Go-Ahead is providing four of its staff to drive the vehicles.

Exclusive: Adapted single-deckers with seats removed and oxygen onboard will transfer patients

NHS staff are preparing to transport patients using two London buses that have been converted into makeshift ambulances, in another sign of the strain Covid is putting on the capital’s health services.

Most of the seats on the single-decker buses have been removed so that each can carry four patients, in an attempt to relieve the intense pressure on hospitals and the London ambulance service.

Go-Ahead, the bus company which owns the vehicles, has loaned them to the NHS in the capital to help transfer patients, including to the reopened London Nightingale field hospital.

They will be staffed by doctors and nurses who work in the NHS, especially in intensive care, as well as volunteers from the St John Ambulance first aid charity.

Go-Ahead is also providing four drivers for the vehicles, which have been adapted so that vital medical equipment – including infusion pumps and monitors – can be used to keep patients stable and observe their condition. All have been vaccinated against coronavirus. Go-Ahead was inundated with offers from its drivers to help.

The buses will also have oxygen onboard and will be able to give it to patients who need it, including those with Covid, through a facemask. The electric vehicles will be able to charge the equipment from their batteries.

The first patients are due to be moved in the buses in the next few days. Initially, they are likely to be patients from London hospitals who are being moved to the Nightingale at the ExCeL arena to receive “step-down” care before they are discharged. It reopened last week but, unlike in the first wave, is being used for less sick patients rather than those who are seriously ill with Covid.

It is thought to be the first time any part of the NHS has had to use specially adapted buses like this to move patients around. Personnel onboard will wear personal protective equipment.

The NHS staff on the buses will be doctors and nurses who work for the Specialist Retrieval and Intensive Care Transfer Service (Sprint), an NHS service which was set up in March, as the Covid pandemic struck, to move sick people between intensive care units at hospitals in south London to ensure none became overwhelmed.

Dedicated stops have been created outside King’s College and Guy’s hospitals in south London to ensure the buses can park and collect patients and have priority. The sides of the buses bear large stickers saying “NHS patient transport” and bearing the health service’s logo.

They will help the London ambulance service, which has been under serious pressure and struggled to answer the huge number of 999 calls it has been receiving since the capital once again became the centre of the lethal second wave of coronavirus around Christmas.

They have had holes inserted in their floors to secure four ambulance stretcher trolleys on wheels made by a firm called Stryker and make sure they do not move around while the bus is in motion.

Patients who need it can be given help to breathe or intravenous medication during the journey.

The initiative has been arranged by Go-Ahead, Sprint and Transport for London.

The London Nightingale opened amid great fanfare in March and was originally intended to be a massive 4,000-bed Covid critical care unit. However, staffing proved problematic and in the first wave it only treated a few dozen patients. It is now being used to take up to 300 non-Covid patients who are close to discharge and is also acting as one of the NHS’s mass vaccination centres.

source: Denis Campbell

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.