Ambulance company adopts vehicle telematics to help save lives

A private ambulance company has equipped its fleet with Kinesis vehicle telematics to plan patient journeys and monitor real-time vehicle movements for non-emergency passenger transport.

MedEvent Healthcare operates a fleet of ambulances and adapted vehicles working alongside the NHS across Wales.

Eifon Howatson, director of MedEvent Healthcare, said: “As healthcare professionals, the patient is at the heart of everything we do, and we want their journey to be the last thing they have to worry about.

“Using Kinesis we can pre-plan journeys taking into account the specific requirements of the patient or medical service and live monitor the vehicle as the journey unfolds. This allows us to deliver time critical services without any drama and means we can keep everyone in the chain informed.”

Using GPS technology, Kinesis is updated every 30 seconds and displayed against a map screen. The live vehicle tracking assists MedEvent in locating vehicles and providing real time updates.

Traffic updates and live estimated time of arrival calculations are also helping MedEvent communicate accurate and up-to-date information with other healthcare professionals and service operators.

Howatson said: “Using Kinesis we know where our vehicles, and therefore our staff, are at any given time.

“We can see if this differs from the planned schedule and we can intervene if necessary. This live information gives everyone peace of mind and security in what can be a stressful environment."

The private ambulance company offers a range of health courier services providing logistical support services for hospitals, clinics, surgeries and GP practices including pharmaceutical deliveries, transport of patient records, theatre supplies, specimens and pathology samples.