NHSBT1207 - Organ Donation Transportation

Tender description

Transport for NHSBT Personnel - 24/7/365 The requirements are to have a nationwide (UK) provider that the SNODs can call to book transport to and from donor hospitals across the UK. The service will provide transport for a SNOD within a defined period from booking and transport the SNOD to their destination. SNODs may require transportation from rural areas, therefore the need to use 4x4 transportation may be required in poor weather conditions: the urgent nature of organ donation means that delays can impact on life-saving transplantation. The service will also be used to support the on-call movement of other on call NHSBT staff. Transport for Unaccompanied Organs, associated blood samples, other samples and tissue -24/7/365 This contract covers unaccompanied movements from donating hospitals to receiving hospitals laboratories or tissue banks. Both NORS centres and non-NORs centres can arrange transport of organs, blood and tissue samples and tissue under this contract. The National Organ Retrieval Service (NORS) retrieves organs from donors in hospitals across the UK and occasionally Europe. Most organs will be required to be transported to recipients in other transplant centres across the UK. Blood and tissue samples will be required to be transported to laboratories around the UK. Human organs have a limited time that they remain viable once removed from the body and there may be urgency for the transportation of an organ. The provider will need to be trained in the use of blue light driving and have vehicles which are capable of this. Organs are allocated to recipients anywhere in the UK and flights may be required to minimise transportation times. The provider will arrange and manage the full journey - the air element, and the road journey at either side. Tissue will be required to be transported between mainland UK and Northern Ireland on a same-day service basis. NORS Team Transport - 24/7/365 NORS teams are based in 14 hospitals across mainland UK. The national transport provision will move NORS teams and their equipment from their base hospital to the donor hospital. The provider will have a vehicle capable of carrying at least five members of staff, as well as all required equipment. The vehicle must have adequate comfort to enable teams to relax on long journeys which can be 3-4 hours, or on some occasions longer. The service will sometimes require the use of blue lights and the provider will need to be trained in the use of blue light driving and have vehicles which are capable of this. NORS teams must be ready to muster within 1 hour of being called and the transport provider must be responsive to this requirement. NORS teams can be mobilised to any donor hospital in the UK and occasionally Europe. For this reason, the provider must be able to source flights at short notice and support the end to end journey of road, air, road for the full team and equipment.