Aptean Routing & Scheduling Calidus Edition Case Study: NHSBT

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is a Special Health Authority and key to the operation of the NHS. Providing blood and organ donation services to the NHS means supplying enough safe blood to hospitals in England and providing organs and tissues to hospitals across the UK. Each year donors give about 1.6 million blood donations, and about 4,000 organ transplants are carried out—saving and transforming countless lives.

The Challenge

Logistics is a crucial part of the NHSBT operation. Over 200 specialist vehicles are used to move blood and associated products between donation sites, processing laboratories and stock holding centers for final delivery to over 250 hospitals. But the processes in place were causing significant challenges:

• Fleet of over 200 specialist vehicles used to move blood and organs to over 250 hospitals

• Planning, route execution and tracking systems not fully integrated

• Outdated, manual route planning systems becoming unreliable

The Solution

With several deliveries being made every day, NHSBT needed a solution that wouldn’t just enable them to carry out time-sensitive operations. They also needed a system in place that would allow them to optimize their fleet, drivers and overall operational processes as efficiently as possible. The solution needed to be able to:

• Integrate ePOD with a route optimization system and telematics in one cohesive system

• Provide an online portal functionality to support staff with a self-service system to track deliveries

• Interface seamlessly with NHSBT’s existing ERP system

• Make the best use of driver and vehicle resources for time-sensitive deliveries

The Result

NHSBT has made a bold move in equipping its logistics division with the most modern tools to help do the best job that can be done. Our purpose-built route optimization software, Aptean Routing & Scheduling Calidus Edition, has uniquely facilitated a significant step-change for NHSBT Logistics.

• Fully integrated systems across route planning, proof of delivery and transportation management

• Automated system to monitor traffic conditions and steer drivers around road congestion

• Ability to track and record deliveries associated with transportation containers used by NHSBT