Refrigerated vans and more: what pharma couriers must know about vaccine storage

Any courier dealing within the pharmaceutical sector will be all too well aware of the stringent NHS requirements in place for the transport of vaccines.  

Vaccines may lose their effectiveness if they become too hot or too cold at any time, causing irreversible loss of potency and consequent poor health protection. This is a loss with serious consequences for the NHS. Just one loss a month of a dose of the Pediacal vaccine (a combination vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), polio and Hib infection costs a GP practice £4million a year.

The pharma supply chain is full of legal regulations for these reasons and simply providing the van itself is not enough. So if you’ve just won a contract for the supply of refrigerated vans for vaccines then here is a quick guide as to how to ensure you store the vaccines at safe temperatures. .

At-a-glance vaccine management guide for refrigerated van couriers

This quick guide is based upon the current guidance issued by Public Health England (PHE) regarding the protocol for ordering, storing and handling vaccines for GP practices.

• Vaccines should be transported in validated cool boxes from a recognised medical supplier. Ordinary domestic refrigerators must not be used.
• Vaccines must be stored at the correct temperature to ensure their safety and efficiency. A maintained temperature between +2 deg C and +8 deg C is key to good vaccine management.
• Fridges should only be used to store vaccines and medicines.
• The fridge should be large enough to allow air to circulate around the stock.
• Vans should be fitted with switch-less sockets to avoid the fridges being turned off accidentally.
• Visual inspections should take place at the same time every day and should be documented. Staff should be trained to read, record, reset the thermometer and react if necessary after every check.
• Vaccines must be kept in their original packaging.
• You should have a maintenance contract in place that allows for yearly servicing and calibrating of the temperature gauge.
• Many vaccines are ordered with a short turn around time (typically 2-4 weeks) according to a GP clinic’s needs. Deliveries to clinics need to be carefully executed to ensure that vaccines are promptly stored in a specialised vaccine fridge after delivery, maintaining the ‘cold chain’ at all stages.
• Communication is key. When delivering to a clinic or surgery, drivers may need to speak to trained members of the primary care team (possibly including someone from the nursing team and someone from management) to ensure good vaccine management from delivery to receipt of the pharmaceuticals.

Specialised vans for the pharmaceutical supply chain are expensive to buy and maintain in accordance with the regulations. If you want to deliver on pharma contracts, without escalating, unknown costs and maintain flexibility as your needs grow or decrease refrigerated vehicle hire could help. Key benefits of hiring versus buying include:

• The ability to manage the changing ebb and flow of supply and demand that comes with different contracts at ease.
• Access to the latest technologies, without the need to outlay precious business capital on vehicle purchase.
• Established safeguards in place to ensure all legal standards are maintained - protecting your reputation and limiting legal exposure.

Next steps

Want to know more about what you should be looking for when hiring refrigerated vans? Then download our guide below.