Patients are being helped to take greater control of their condition by an award-winning logistics business.

Carousel Logistics, based in Sittingbourne, has won a contract from O2 Health, part of global digital company Telefónica, to deliver the pioneering Health at Home programme. It is being piloted in North Somerset and enables patients to take greater control over their health needs.

By making use of information and communications technology, Health at Home saves patients from having to go to a doctor or hospital for daily tests, allows clinicians to take a more tailored approach to individual patient needs and also frees up health service resources.

Carousel, which was named Employer of the Year in the 2011 Kent Excellence in Business Awards (KEiBA), will manage the entire supply chain process from providing storage to installing medical monitoring equipment and training patients in its use.

Patients with long-term health conditions are supplied with a tablet computer which is connected to the mobile network and pre-loaded with the Health at Home software as well as relevant smart monitoring devices including pulse oximeters, weight scales and blood pressure monitors.

Patients take regular readings using the smart devices which are sent via Bluetooth to the tablet and forwarded securely to the O2 Health server.

“On receipt of an order we will contact the patient directly, prepare the package according to their individual requirements and run a full quality inspection prior to dispatch,” said Carousel’s commercial manager Morton Griffiths. “We will install and test the equipment in the patient’s home before training them and/or their carer in its correct use.”

“In awarding this contract we needed a provider with a good understanding of the importance of technology, a well trained workforce and the ability to provide the end-user with a truly personalised service,” said O2 Health’s Siobhan Melia, product marketing manager for Health at Home. “Carousel Logistics exceeded our expectations in all these criteria.”