A new partnership between Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and a commercial vehicle fleet service company handling the Trust’s transport fleet management, is already reaping the rewards of increased uptime, reliability and lower costs.

The Trust has taken on 19 vehicles from Fraikin, ranging from small car-derived vans to tippers and reefers. The assets are used for a variety of transport tasks, carrying patients, hospital food, medical supplies and waste.

Martin Adams, transport manager at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, said: “By working alongside Fraikin, we’ve been able to reduce the size of our fleet because we no longer need spare vehicles in case of unplanned downtime. As we now have more efficient and lower emission vehicles, this has resulted in a smaller carbon footprint and reduced fuel spend.”

Plans are already afoot to further expand the service, with the Trust and Fraikin working together to evaluate the feasibility of introducing electric vehicles and charging points at the Trust’s hospital sites.

Martin adds: “We can now run a fleet that is far more efficient and cost-effective. We get a first class service that helps our hospitals continue to look after patients.”

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) is one of the largest organisations running NHS hospitals in England. The hospitals and services run by HEFT include Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Solihull Hospital and Community Services, Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham Chest Clinic.