Contracts have been awarded to UPS, DFDS and Biocair for the
Department of Health and Social Care’s express freight
service. The new service will help to ensure that patients
and care providers have access to medicines and medical
products after Brexit.
The £25 million service was first announced by
Health Secretary Matt Hancock in August.
It means that vital medicines and medical products can be
transported from the location they are produced to the point
they are needed within 24 to 48 hours, to meet any urgent
needs that might arise.
The service provides access to specialised express logistics
networks that can move the wide range of medicines, devices
and products required for the delivery of safe, high-quality
care for patients across the UK.
The NHS will have access to:
- next-day delivery on small consignments, including
temperature-controlled or hazardous products
- 48-hour delivery for larger loads
- specialist services, including hand-delivered courier
services if needed
The 3 providers have extensive experience of operating
logistics networks serving Europe and the UK using a mixture
of air and road transport to support the express movement of
products.
The express freight service will support existing plans
already in place, including:
-
building buffer stocks of medicines and medical products
-
changing or clarifying regulatory requirements so
that companies can continue to sell their products in the
UK if we leave the EU without a deal
-
strengthening the process and resources used to deal with
shortages
-
procurement of additional warehouse capacity
-
supporting companies to improve the readiness of their
logistics and supply chains to meet the new customs and
border requirements for both import and export
As an extra level of cover, the department has also increased
its capacity to manage any potential disruption to supply
that might arise by setting up a dedicated National Supply
Disruption Response unit to support the health and social
care sector.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:
This dedicated delivery service will get urgent supplies
and short shelf-life medicines, like radioisotopes for
cancer treatments, rapidly into the country, including by
plane where necessary.
It is just one element of our detailed and robust
preparations for Brexit, which includes stockpiling and
additional ferry capacity.
We now have detailed plans in place for every medicine –
including those with short shelf-lives – to help ensure
that the supply of medicines and medical products are
uninterrupted through Brexit.
Mike Thompson, Chief Executive of the Association of the
British Pharmaceutical Industry, said:
Industry has been doing everything in its power to make
sure people get the medicines they need. Whilst there are
many things beyond their control, this is an important
contingency plan that will help our members continue their
preparations – alongside the stockpiles they have already
built and alternative freight routes they have secured.
Peter Ellingworth, Chief Executive of the Association of
British HealthTech Industries, said:
This announcement, along with the existing package of
support for HealthTech companies, is testament to the hard
and diligent work carried out by the department to ensure
that our sector, and the patients we serve, are as well
prepared as we can be to deal with the consequences of a
no-deal Brexit.
