VOLUNTEER 4x4 drivers have helped nurses reach some of Wiltshire’s sickest people.

Drivers from volunteer force Wessex 4x4 Response drove palliative care nurses through the snow to homes around the county.

Two 4x4 “responders” helped transport the nurses on Sunday and Monday, who provide care to patients given only a matter of weeks or months to live.

Another two volunteers were charged with driving Great Western Hospital midwives from home to the wards.

Wessex 4x4 Response’s Freya Puttock told BBC Wiltshire on Sunday: “It’s not just about people coming into the world. We’re also ensuring we can help people who are suffering at home to still receive the care and support that they need.

“We are a group of people who drive our own 4x4s and want to support the community. Everyone who drives a 4x4 often gets a call to say, ‘Freya, could you help my wife get to work?’ We’re doing that but on a much bigger scale.

“We train together and work hard with other partner agencies so that when these things do happen – because we never know when they’re coming – we’re all ready to help and support as quickly as possible.”

On Sunday night the Wessex 4x4 Response volunteers were on standby to help drivers from Freewheelers, another volunteer group that transports blood between hospitals across the UK.

South Western Ambulance Service said that they had seen a jump in call-outs over the snow-hit weekend.

On Sunday, paramedics were called to almost 130 incidents – a 45 per cent jump compared to the same day last year.

An ambulance spokeswoman said: “During this period of severe weather, partnership working comes to the fore.

“Volunteers from Wiltshire Search and Rescue are working to support South Western Ambulance Service to ensure staff are able to get to and from work and continue to provide care for our patients, whatever the conditions.”