When it comes to delivering medicines and medical equipment to patients, professionals and organisations, it’s a key area of health and healthcare services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, prescription deliveries to homes and households have been essential for those people who have been shielding due to chronic illnesses.
Refrigerated vehicles play a super important part when it comes to deliveries, this is because a lot of medicines will need to kept at specific temperatures, without a suitably adapted commercial fridge van or vehicle, pharmacies and expert couriers can’t provide their roles efficiently, this can create logistical issues and also impact patient wellbeing.
The home delivery of medicines in those areas with local lockdowns has overall been very successful, volunteers have been great and provided a constant flow of deliveries in areas where lockdown has stopped patients from accessing key medical services.
With a yearly turnover of around £60 billion, the UK’s pharmaceutical sector has become one of the most profitable business areas in the world. This also means that there’s never been more of a demand for safety and that better health has increased the requirement for seasonal vaccination programmes as well as revolutionary new vaccines.
It’s essential that vaccines and medicines are kept in the right condition, they will be very fragile, the NHS has issued strong warnings regarding this, failure to follow and comply with these regulations can put user’s health at risk and will also put healthcare organisations at risk of any reputational damage and legal penalties. In order to avoid this, pharmaceutical companies need to ensure that their fleets of refrigerated vans meet all specified standards.
Keeping Medicines and Vaccines at the Right Temperature
Pharmaceutical products tend to lose their effectiveness when they’ve not been stored at the right temperature, with this in mind they can have a fatal effect, especially when they have been administered to patients. This is all in line with Public Health England and The Royal College of Nurses – all vaccines and medication should be stored in bespoke fridges during transportation. The temperature requirements will range from +2℃ and +8℃. However this will all depend on the manufacturer’s recommendations, another reason why this is essential is that failure to comply can result in wastage and unwanted costs to the NHS.
The temperature must be consistent at all times of transportation, in order to achieve this, vehicles will need to be fitted with an effective and high-quality temperature-controlled unit or system. If a van was to break down, the refrigerator unit and system must still be able to keep pharmaceuticals cool as well as avoid any permanent damage. The cost of damaged medical products can be really high, research has shown that this was at around £255 million in 2017 alone, which is huge. Temperature fluctuations are a big factor when it comes to spoiling medicines and vaccines, even without the financial loss, it could also put patients in danger. All the more reason to ensure that only the best quality refrigeration vehicles and vans are used for pharmaceuticals.
It’s essential that temperature-sensitive cargo has only the very best care, pharmaceutical couriers need to utilise refrigerated and freezer vans that use a range of temperature applications, as well as multiple temperature compartments that will help to cater for complex needs.
For Fridge Vans for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Equipment, Call BHRV Today
Should you be looking for refrigerated vans, the team at BHRV have got you covered. We offer a full range of fridge, freezer vans and vehicle services, whatever your requirements, we have
got you covered. Our new refrigerated vans and vehicles also undergo chiller, freezer and bespoke conversions and fridge van conversion kits, all of which are provided in our workshops by trained technicians and specialists. At BHRV when it comes to fridge vans and vehicles, we will meet your every need, it’s our priority to ensure that our customers receive a van or vehicle that is of the highest standards. Simply get in touch with BHRV’s team today, we are always available to take your call.