TECHNOLOGY normally used to track parcels is being used by an NHS fleet to help patients reach appointments more quickly.

Coventry & Warwickshire Ambulance NHS Trust is monitoring its vehicle and patient movements by tracking systems developed by T@lecom.

Ambulance staff using XDA II handheld computers log the time they arrive at a patient’s house, the time they leave and the time they deliver them to their destination. Using the system, unique data for every patient moved is now instantly available to the control centre, while the additional satellite navigation and tracking facilities ensures greater productivity than the service was previously able to deliver.

The trust operates a varied fleet of ambulances to move non-emergency patients.

Although the requirements of such an operation are far more critical than those of moving parcels, the planning and logistics are very similar.

The service must be able to plan pick-ups and drop-offs with minimal delays and as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Coventry and Warwickshire Ambulance NHS Trust chose T@lecom and O2 as its partners to develop a live tracking system giving the location of vehicles to the nearest 10 metres.

Following successful trials, the Coventry & Warwickshire Ambulance NHS Trust has signed a three-year contract with T@lecom worth about £250,000.