Reliable cold storage safeguarding vital medicines

The Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides acute hospital and community health services to a population of 750,000 people across Wiltshire and neighbouring counties. With such a large catchment, the trust relies on a broad portfolio of medical and non-medical equipment to provide care to thousands of patients every week. Al Walcroft, Deputy Trust Equipment Manager, oversees the maintenance and replacement of all of these assets, including a large number of pharmaceutical refrigerators.

The Trust's Needs:

• Reliable, low-maintenance cold storage for medications and vaccines

• Consistent temperature range of 2 to 8 °C

• Alarm systems to signal temperature deviations

• Locking mechanisms to prevent unauthorised access

• Simple, intuitive design for busy healthcare environments

• Responsive technical support to resolve any issues quickly

Smart and Sustainable Refrigeration

Pharmaceutical refrigerators play a crucial role in protecting temperature-sensitive medicines and vaccines, and many of the trust’s existing units needed to be replaced as they reached the end of their working life. This was vital to avoid breakdowns and ensure they operated at a consistent temperature, as even small fluctuations can compromise the safety and efficacy of the medicines and vaccines stored within. This can have knock-on effects for patients, or result in the disposal of costly medicines and a considerable financial impact for the trust.

When tasked with replacing these older refrigerators, Al and his team sought to modernise and improve the efficiency of their cold storage solutions. The team decided to go with Haier Biomedical systems, largely due to the company’s reputation for quality and responsive customer service. Al explained:

“Installing reliable devices is incredibly important for us. We need equipment that we can depend on day after day, and that our team can check and manage intuitively. We started with one fridge as a trial to see how it performed, and we’ve been ordering Haier Biomedical fridges ever since.”

Since that first installation, the trust has expanded its portfolio of Haier Biomedical units, with around 15 fridges now in use across the central pharmacy and wards. The user-friendly controls and stable performance have made them popular among staff. “The control display features are intuitive, and staff find them easy to use,” Al continued.

“We haven’t had any complaints, which is a good sign that the units are performing as they should. Plus, the newer equipment is more efficient, meaning that these upgrades are helping us to reduce our energy consumption and contribute to the trust’s wider sustainability goals.”

Reliable cold storage for medicine

Maintaining a consistent storage temperature between 2 and 8 °C is essential to ensure the integrity of many medications. Each fridge is therefore fitted with sensors and an alarm that notify staff if temperatures move outside this range, allowing immediate action to prevent spoilage. They also feature locking mechanisms that prevent unauthorised access, and the pharmacy fridges have additional alarm systems to ensure the safety of important medicines. Some also feature glass doors, enabling quick visual checks without opening the door.

Trust and unwavering support

Haier Biomedical’s ongoing support has been just as valuable to the trust as its equipment, with the company’s responsiveness and commitment to customer care making it a dependable long-term partner. “I’ve always found Haier Biomedical to be approachable and reliable,” Al said.

“We’ve had a number of suppliers over the years, but Haier Biomedical stands out for reliability and the quality of the support we receive. The fridges perform exactly as we need them to but, on the rare occasion we’ve needed help, the team has been quick to respond and always found a solution, saving us time and disruption. It’s reassuring to have a supplier that knows our hospital and understands our needs, which makes the supply process straightforward and gives us confidence in our purchases.”

The trust plans to continue its migration to Haier Biomedical fridges across its wards and pharmacy, replacing older units as they reach the end of their lifespan. The combination of reliable products, energy efficiency and responsive service has made Haier Biomedical a trusted partner for Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

“Every fridge we’ve replaced recently has been from Haier Biomedical. As older ones reach the end of their life, we’ll continue replacing them with these models. Overall, Haier Biomedical’s fridges have been reliable and the support has been excellent, whichis very reassuring for the future of our partnership.” Al concluded.

More:

If you would like further information on our range of Pharmacy Refrigerators and to get an up to date quote, email sales@haierbiomedical.co.uk or call 01932 780 070.

You can download this case study here.