Reducing the transport footprint of pathology logistics through shared fleet passenger and freight services: a case study on the Isle of Wight, UK

Abstract

This study investigates the potential for shared fleet operations between public organisations, specifically, the National Health Service (NHS) and Isle of Wight Council (IWC), to optimise healthcare logistics and reduce operational inefficiencies. The methodology compares a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario where only NHS vans are used with an intervention scenario integrating IWC school minibus, cash collection and library service vehicle routes with NHS pathology collections. Using historical data and a novel optimisation algorithm, vehicle movements were modelled to evaluate benefits in terms of cost savings, reduced CO₂ emissions and vehicle usage. The results suggested that considerable improvements could be made by integrating pathology collection rounds into the existing IWC minibus routes: (a 10.6% reduction in CO₂ emissions (644 kg/month) and vehicle kilometres (2,300 km/month), a 20.2% reduction in working hours (219 hours/month), and a 17.8% savings in cost (GBP (£) 3,596/month) leading to IWC gaining a potential additional annual revenue stream of GBP (£) 54,829 with a 22.4% reduction in costs to the NHS. The findings highlight the potential benefits of shared fleet operations between public sector organisations, offering a model for similar collaborations in other public sector contexts.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Ismail Aydemir: orcid.org/0000-0002-7847-1801

ORCID for Tom Cherrett: orcid.org/0000-0003-0394-5459

ORCID for Antonio Martinez-Sykora: orcid.org/0000-0002-2435-3113

ORCID for Fraser Mcleod: orcid.org/0000-0002-5784-9342

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