CHEMOTHERAPY drugs are being delivered to Oxford's hospitals by bicycle.

Pedal & Post, an e-bike courier service, has helped Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) half NHS delivery times of chemotherapy drugs.

The use of the service is also helping OUH to become greener and reach its goal to have net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

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The use of the e-bike courier service has proven to be a more efficient way of getting key medical products to hospital sites and patients.

Currently, the scheme is delivering products towards, day treatment areas and pharmacies at the John Radcliffe and Church hospital in Oxford.

In the future, however, goods will be delivered to the Horton General Hospital in Banbury by e-motorbike.

Since the initiative with Pedal & Post began in August 2020, over 25,000 products have been delivered.

The cyclists take the medical products from the Baxter Healthcare compounding facility, in Cowley, to the hospital site.

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It takes approximately 15 to 30 minutes for supplies to be delivered from Baxter's to the John Radcliffe, and around 10 to 20 minutes for supplies to be delivered to the Churchill.

Bhulesh Vadher, Chief Pharmacist at the Trust, said: “This is a fantastic example of collaboration and innovation between the Trust, Baxter, and Pedal and Post, helping to deliver a more efficient service and the best possible care for our patients.

“The transport of chemotherapy from Baxter to our hospital sites is no longer dependant on factors outside of the company’s control, such as peak hour traffic, flow of traffic onto the hospital site, and road works."

The eco-friendly delivery service is estimated to save up to 10 tonnes of carbon emissions each year, and improve the air quality in the city.

Mr Vadher added: “That unpredictability was putting pressure on NHS staff to deliver chemotherapy treatments in a timely manner, and it was also impacting our patients’ experience throughout treatment.

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“The new bike courier service has taken away all the unnecessary extra pressure on NHS staff and has considerably reduced the delivery time. Using bikes instead of cars or vans is also better for the environment and the Oxfordshire community.”

Chris Benton, managing director at Pedal & Post, said: “This has been an exciting opportunity to showcase what cargo bikes are capable of and I'm extremely proud of the team at Pedal & Post with how successful the project has been.

“It demonstrates how moving to emission-free courier services can actually improve patient care while also tackling the climate emergency, promoting active travel, improving local air quality, and congestion."

“The reception from patients and the wards to us in our blue cycling jerseys has been really positive, and we're hoping to expand on this success with the NHS Trust in the future.”

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