Holiday Medication Contract – Failure is not an option
10th February 2017
Managing the transportation of medication for UK-based dialysis patients travelling overseas on holiday is an essential service. It supports dialysis patients and their families, so they can maintain a lifestyle that’s as normal as possible.
long-standing holiday medications service
Spatial’s long-standing holiday medications service has one crucial requirement, that the medication is delivered to the destination and its receipt confirmed (as intact and in good condition) before patients are allowed to leave the UK.
Upon arrival at their holiday destination – whether resort, campsite, cruise ship, hotel or villa – immediate access is required to the product so patients can continue with their strict medical regimes.
Surprisingly, the volume of dialysis product and equipment for a longer holiday can run into several pallets per patient. Convincing local customs authorities that this is a personal prescription for an individual who is also not allowed to depart from the UK until delivery is completed, is no mean feat!
Spatial’s challenge, in short, has been to manage palletised deliveries directly to holiday hotspots around the world – rather than conventional terminals, ports and commercial centres – while ensuring the very highest standards of service.
The lack of infrastructure and facilities
The lack of infrastructure and facilities for handling palletised freight at these locations can make life difficult. Often gone are the simple pleasures of a receiving dock, a forklift truck, or a warehouse team with telephones. Sometimes there’s not even a proper road to where the patient is staying.
Particular difficulties arise with patients on cruise ships. When vessels call at a port they are usually there for a few hours only, and given the very high levels of security now demanded – especially in the US – getting Spatial’s agent quayside ready to load a considerable volume of product can be a headache.