Medical and pharmaceutical courier service
Urgent, direct transfers of samples, medicines, clinical trial supplies and medical equipment between hospitals, laboratories, clinics and pharmacies. One dedicated vehicle, your handling instructions followed, and a signed record at every handover.
- Specimens, medicines and equipment
- Refrigerated vans for cold chain
- Signed handovers, 24 hours a day
Who we work for in healthcare
Medical deliveries are rarely large, but they are almost always urgent and they often cannot be repeated. A biopsy sample, a batch of patient-specific medicine or a loan set of surgical instruments has to arrive intact, on time and with a clear record of who handled it.
We carry consignments for a wide range of healthcare senders:
- Hospitals, moving samples, pharmacy stock, records and equipment between sites.
- Pathology and private laboratories, receiving specimens from clinics and sending samples to reference labs for specialist tests.
- Clinics and GP practices, sending samples and returning equipment.
- Pharmacies, moving urgent stock between branches or to a care provider.
- Dental laboratories, collecting impressions and delivering crowns, bridges and appliances back to practices.
- Veterinary practices, sending samples to veterinary laboratories and collecting urgent medicines.
- Life sciences and clinical research, moving trial supplies, reagents and research samples.
Every job is a dedicated vehicle going directly from collection to delivery. There is no depot and no overnight sort: the consignment stays with the same vehicle from collection to delivery as booked, and if anything ever needs to change, we tell you first.
Specimens and diagnostic samples
Most diagnostic specimens travel as UN3373, Biological Substance, Category B. These must be packed by the sender in triple packaging that meets packing instruction P650:
- A leak-proof primary receptacle, such as a sealed sample tube.
- Leak-proof secondary packaging, with enough absorbent material to soak up the entire contents if the primary leaks.
- Rigid outer packaging, with an itemised list of contents placed between the secondary and outer layers.
- The UN3373 diamond mark and the words "Biological Substance, Category B" on the outer package.
- Contact details of a responsible person, as your procedures require.
Packing and marking are your responsibility as the sender, and your laboratory or infection control team will have the approved packaging. Our responsibility is to carry the consignment safely, upright and secure, directly to the named recipient. If a package is damaged or leaking at collection, the driver will not accept it and will call you.
We do not carry Category A infectious substances or clinical waste. If a consignment includes dry ice as a coolant, tell us at booking so we can confirm whether and how it can be carried.
Check with the receiving laboratory first
Laboratories often have specific reception hours, goods-in points and rules on sample age. A sample that arrives at a closed reception desk at 7.00 pm may be no use the next morning. Confirm the receiving arrangements before you book an evening transfer.
Medicines and temperature-sensitive products
Many medicines, vaccines and reagents must stay within a set temperature range, commonly 2–8 °C. For these we use our refrigerated courier vans, with the load area brought to temperature before loading where the booking requires it, and kept closed until delivery. We agree the temperature range with you at booking and confirm whether the allocated vehicle can provide a temperature record for the trip.
We follow the temperature, handling and documentation requirements you set out. We do not hold GDP certification, so if your quality system requires a certified carrier for a product, check that before booking. Many senders add their own calibrated data logger to the consignment so they have an independent record.
Clinical trial supplies
Investigational medicinal products, ancillary supplies and returned samples move between depots, pharmacies, investigator sites and laboratories on tight timetables, often around a patient's visit. A missed delivery can mean a rescheduled visit or a protocol deviation.
For trial work we follow your study's handling instructions and SOPs: the temperature range, who may receive the shipment, what must be checked at handover, and what paperwork travels with it. If the sponsor or CRO provides a shipping form that the recipient must sign, the driver will make sure that happens alongside our own proof of delivery.
Medical equipment and devices
Not every healthcare consignment fits in a sample box. We also move:
- loan surgical instrument sets between a supplier and a private hospital theatre;
- diagnostic equipment, such as ultrasound units or monitors, for repair, demonstration or installation;
- consumables and stock for a clinic opening or a mobile screening unit;
- mobility and rehabilitation equipment going to a care setting.
For delicate or high-value equipment, our fragile and high-value courier service covers protective handling. Larger items may need a Luton van with a tail lift; we will confirm the right vehicle when you describe the load.
Get a quote for this jobor call 020 4525 2039, any time
Chain of custody and proof of delivery
Healthcare senders often need to show exactly who had a consignment and when. With a dedicated vehicle, the custody chain is short: you hand to our driver, our driver hands to your named recipient, and nobody else handles it in between.
At each handover we record:
- the time of collection and the name of the person who handed it over;
- live updates during the transfer;
- the time of delivery, the recipient's name and their signature, with a photo where useful.
The signed proof of delivery is available as soon as the job is complete. Our guide to proof of delivery explains what it shows and how it can support an audit trail.
Working to your procedures
Most healthcare organisations have standard operating procedures for transport. Send them to us with your booking, or with your account set-up if you will use us regularly. We will follow your instructions on packaging checks, who may receive, what the driver must not do (such as leaving a consignment unattended), and what to do if the recipient is not available.
We are not part of any NHS framework or procurement agreement, and we do not claim specialist accreditation as a pathology courier. What we offer is a dedicated vehicle, a driver who follows your instructions, and a clear signed record.
Urgent, scheduled and long-distance work
- Urgent transfers: a sample needed for a same-day result, or a medicine needed for a patient tonight, through our urgent courier service.
- Regular runs: daily sample collections from clinics to a laboratory, set up as a scheduled courier route.
- Life sciences clusters: frequent runs between research sites, such as those around Cambridge.
- Overseas shipments: arranged through partner carriers on our international courier service, with our driver handling the urgent UK collection.
Goods in transit cover is included on every job; our terms set out the limits, so tell us the value when you book.
FAQ
Common questions
Do you carry UN3373 Category B specimens?
Yes, when they are packed by the sender to packing instruction P650: a leak-proof primary receptacle, leak-proof secondary packaging with absorbent material, and a rigid outer package showing the UN3373 mark and the words "Biological Substance, Category B". Packing and marking are the sender's responsibility. We do not carry Category A infectious substances, which fall under the full dangerous goods rules.
Can you collect samples outside normal working hours?
Yes. We run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including bank holidays, so a late-evening transfer from a hospital to a reference laboratory, or a Sunday collection from a clinic, is routine. Give us the name of the person handing over and the receiving department, especially if the destination has a night reception or a different entrance after hours.
Are you GDP certified for pharmaceutical distribution?
We do not hold Good Distribution Practice certification and do not claim to. What we do is follow the temperature, handling and documentation requirements you set out, including temperature records where the vehicle supports them. If your quality system requires a GDP-certified carrier for a particular product, please check that requirement before booking us for it.
How do you protect patient confidentiality?
Our drivers do not need to see patient details to deliver a consignment. Request forms and any patient-identifiable paperwork should travel sealed inside the packaging, not taped to the outside. The driver works from the addresses and contact names on the booking, and the proof of delivery records only who received the consignment and when.
Can you run a regular collection from our clinic to the laboratory?
Yes. Daily or twice-daily sample runs from a clinic, GP surgery, care provider or satellite site to a laboratory are well suited to our scheduled courier service. The vehicle arrives at agreed times without you booking each run, and each collection and delivery is still signed for.
What if a sample is packed incorrectly when the driver arrives?
The driver will not accept a specimen that is leaking, damaged or not packed and marked as the booking described, and will contact you and our team straight away. In most cases the fix is quick, such as adding the correct outer packaging or label. It is far better to sort it at collection than to have the receiving laboratory reject it.
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