How We Keep The NHS Prepared & Operational
Keeping the NHS prepared is a tough job, because it has to serve everyone in the UK. Surgeries, patients and pharmacies all over the country rely on deliveries from refrigerated vehicles, and at LF&E we’re determined to rise to the occasion. Demand fluctuates throughout the year, so we know we have to be ready for whatever the NHS needs.
Covering increased volumes for the flu vaccine season
Flu vaccines are incredibly important to the NHS because they help to stop the spread of the influenza virus to those who are most at risk-the young, old, chronically ill, or those who are pregnant. Surgeries often hold mass vaccination sessions, where all patients eligible for the jab have to come at certain times on a certain day at the beginning of the flu season-from September in the UK.
This means that plenty of flu vaccinations have to be delivered to all GP surgeries who administer the injections and that these medicines must be kept at a constant temperature. LF&E drivers take on this mammoth task, increasing their deliveries during flu vaccination season, ensuring that their vans are at proper temperatures and their loads are stacked correctly, before delivering the vaccines to the practice.
Clinical Waste Collection
LF&E do not just deliver to the NHS; they help it to run smoothly by taking away medical waste. This can include hypodermic needles, medical gloves, swabs, dressings, or anything else with the potential to affect the health of others if included with domestic waste collections. Our drivers are specially trained to be aware of the issues and procedures in removing medical and clinical waste, including any procedures to be taken in case of adverse incidents such as being pricked by a used needle.
Because so much clinical waste is generated by normal practices and surgeries, helping our partners and clients get rid of hazardous waste and focus on providing healthcare to their patients means that we build up a good relationship with them and they know they can trust us.
Prescription Management Service
2.7 million hours of general practice surgery time could be saved if 80% of repeat prescriptions were prescribed via Repeat Dispensing, say NHS England. LF&E aim to take some of the strain off surgeries with our prescription management service.
We deal with many patients face-to-face who have been using the same medications for a long time. If their local NHS authority appoints us as a prescription management service, we are able to deliver medication to the patient-meaning that the patient does not have to leave their home, that GP surgeries are not taken up with signing and printing prescriptions when they could be focusing on the patients in the waiting room, and that LF&E can provide a full over the threshold service.
This means that if the patient requires it, we can deliver the medicine to a specific room in their home, and we can act for disabled or frail patients by swapping out any old medicine in their fridge as we put the new batch in.
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Guaranteed Timed Deliveries of Medicines
It is not uncommon for the NHS to have a delivery which is extremely time-sensitive. Transporting organs for transplant is one example; although this is an extreme one, donated organs may only be viable for a transplant for six hours or so. Because of this, LF&E have benefitted greatly from the use of software which plans delivery windows.
This means that both healthcare professionals and drivers can work to the approved time frame; whether that means planning surgeries for just after the guaranteed two-hour delivery window, asking a patient to collect medication in the afternoon if a delivery is scheduled for that morning, or allowing home care patients the chance to make plans on delivery day.
Optimised Route Planning To Reduce Failed Deliveries
Recently, LF&E invested in Paragon, a market-leading software that creates optimised route plans for drivers. This means that deliveries become more efficient and environmentally friendly, as well as improving the service we give our customers.
Through our two-hour window service and our decision to send text SMS or email notifications to our customers, we can be much more precise in knowing when our deliveries will arrive. Sharing that information with our customers increases their confidence in us and ensures that lines of communication are always open, in case there is some trouble on the roads and the delivery has the potential to miss its window.
The NHS is one of the most precious resources in the country. LF&E are proud to work with them on a daily basis.
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Whatever we do and whatever we deliver, it’s the patients who are our highest priority. They’re the ones the medicines are for, so it’s imperative they receive quality every step of the way.
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