Can locker box logistics enable more human-centric medical supply chains?

The fast flow of goods into hospitals is often stalled by the external–internal supply chain interface (i.e. the receipts department). This issue is particularly pertinent regarding the delivery of urgent items for specific patients or in the event of low inventory levels. An unattended electronic locker bank to which individual urgent items can be delivered and subsequently collected by the ‘user’ was proposed for Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, UK. The feasibility of this concept is quantified using a hill-climbing model operating with a significant database of consignment movements and qualitatively using staff interviews. Results indicate that a locker bank measuring 4 m length, 1.7 m height and 0.8 m depth, comprising 11 partitions, would be required to accommodate all urgent consignments for any given day. Staff perceptions of the concept were positive suggesting the locker would potentially improve the speed and quality of health care delivered to patients.