Thefutureofmedicaldeliveriesinurbanareas:what’stheanswer?

Think about your most recent doctor’s prescription for a moment. Did you pick it up straight from your local pharmacy, have to travel miles to one where it was in stock – all too relatable in our post-Brexit, post-pandemic era – or was it delivered straight to your home?

If you nodded along to the latter option, do you remember how it was delivered? It’s safe to say it was probably done via traditional van or car delivery, which certainly wouldn’t have added a lot to the aesthetics of your road (in fact, it might’ve blocked in a neighbour) and you may not have been able to choose the time you’d like it delivered – many providers use traditional services such as Royal Mail.

In the midst of growing frustration at how pharmaceutical goods are transported to consumers, particularly to those reliant on home delivery, conversation has sparked interesting ideas about how we can make things better. Alternatives exist and some are right at our fingertips already, whilst some are just being trialled.

Smarter cities

The concept of ‘the smart city’, a technological vision of smart urbanism has been floated around for a number of years now. Various retail companies have trialled drone deliveries for their goods, but it’s fairly new to the pharmaceutical industry. Boots became the first community pharmacy to deliver prescription drugs this way just this month in collaboration with medical drone firm Apian. Boots will now assess the effectiveness of this mechanism and continue the trial, and other heavyweights – including the NHS – are seeking to do the same.

Transforming the infrastructure of a city with technology is often seen as “a silver bullet for urban problems and a major market opportunity”, but there are concerns about the extent to which urban decision-makers can implement solutions that are appropriate for their demographics, not to mention the need for collaboration between public and private sectors. The issue of constructive collaboration is particularly important for the pharmaceutical industry, where the lines between the NHS and private healthcare providers are often blurred in community settings i.e. pharmacies, GP surgeries and dental clinics. Whilst drones are being trialled and we will need to wait to view their success, we can look at what is already is use – and what’s already working.

What’s happening right now?

While some technology is still in its infancy, others are proven and ready to scale. Zedify has transformed costly, complicated and time-consuming drop-offs for our healthcare partners and has done so using three simple guiding principles.

•  Value for money

We offer competitive rates for those needing daily package deliveries to and from multiple urban locations. Typical van and car delivery services have upped their prices in the wake of rising fuel prices; our cargo bikes require only electricity to run, meaning our prices stay stable.

• Reliability of service

We understand that pharmaceutical packages can be fragile and are often time-sensitive. Our Living Wage riders are highly skilled in their areas and are able to find routes around the city that larger vehicles cannot. Our technology platform allows us to plan the most efficient routes for our riders, allowing for a highly efficient service.

• Timing!

We allow for timed delivery slots so businesses can get what they need, when they need it.

Case studies

Clinics, pharmacies and medical laboratories in cities over the UK choose cargo bike deliveries for pharmaceutical distribution, home deliveries, medical equipment deliveries, specimen collection – the list goes on. Our clients appreciate that we use a unique and memorable service for their customers, too.

Abcam, the leading global supplier of protein research tools for life scientists, are proud to use our service for their time-critical, often dry-ice packed, items; “Zedify represent us handsomely when delivering consignments. Our customers love the amazing speed of service we’re able to offer through Zedify.”

Visage dental lab, leading ceramic dental technicians, rate our reliability: “When we’re up against it and need something down urgently, the Zedify Glasgow team work hard to help us out.”

Michael Franklin, an independent chain of 11 pharmacies across the UK, use Zedify for prescription home deliveries and controlled drug packages. “There were two major reasons why we decided to choose Zedify”, says Paras Shah, Pharmacist, “cost and their zero emissions service. It’s great that drivers can also check the number of deliveries they pick up and match the number of deliveries emailed over so there is no confusion. So far we’ve had great feedback from our patients, and all the drivers are very friendly.”

For more information on our delivery services for pharmaceutical businesses, get in contact with Mary McAlister, Zedify Group Partnerships, here: mary.mcalister@zedify.co.uk