Royal Mail is working with Echo by Lloyds Pharmacy to trial faster deliveries of prescriptions to some residents in London and the South East. The service will provide customers with a convenient way to order and receive medicine at home.
Initially, customers with time-sensitive requirements who are ordering at night will receive their deliveries a whole day earlier than they do now. The trial paves the way for a same-day delivery service covering morning orders for urgent medication.
Under current arrangements, orders received at night by Echo by LloydsPharmacy are despatched the following day and delivered to the customer the day after that. This new service enables prescriptions fulfilled the night before to be handed over to Royal Mail in the early hours of the morning and delivered to the customer later in the day.
Royal Mail also pioneered a network of priority postboxes for the return of test kits to labs. This enabled customers to return their tests quickly and conveniently. The service has also extended collections to take place on a Sunday.
Royal Mail has delivered around 1bn items of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to care homes, GP surgeries and social care providers since April 2020. Royal Mail also delivers vaccination letters on behalf of the government, inviting people to book their appointments.
Even before the pandemic, Royal Mail handled samples and medication for the NHS regularly.
Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer at Royal Mail, said: “At Royal Mail, we’re always looking for ways to introduce more convenient services for our customers. Our partnership with Echo by LloydsPharmacy to deliver prescriptions a whole day earlier is the first step in developing new same day services that could bring much greater convenience and peace of mind to customers across the UK. Royal Mail has already played a crucial role in the fast delivery and collection of millions of test kits to help in the nation’s fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. The faster delivery of medicines is another example of how we are supporting customers – especially those who aren’t able to leave their homes.”
Source: Royal Mail
