Platelet Dispatch: Transforming operations for Blood Bikers

We are delighted to showcase Platelet Dispatch as our Emergency Courier Technology Company of the Month

Blood Bikers are a cornerstone for NHS Trusts across the country, transporting essential clinical products like blood, platelets, samples, donor milk and surgical instruments between healthcare units, hospitals and patients’ homes.

Keeping blood bikers moving

The Platelet Dispatch open-source dispatch system was the brainchild of Director Theo Cranmore and formally established in 2023 for the purpose of supporting blood bikes.

Platelet Dispatch is a dispatch system for real time, on demand pick-up and delivery of medical items and blood. It has in-built fleet management features, consignment history, and a locations directory. The system uses offline first design, with users able to seamlessly update consignment statuses, even in poor signal areas.

The serverless system is markedly more costeffective and provides high reliability, as Theo explains further, “We maintain the Platelet Dispatch open-source dispatch system and provide services centred around it. These include hosting, support, training, and feature development. The app is published to Google Play and Apple App Store and connects to our hosted environment.

“Many users of Platelet Dispatch are only on the rota a few days a month, and they can be up and running quickly with an easy to use and intuitive interface.

“We regularly communicate with blood bike volunteers and involve them in testing and feature development. Each month around 1,200 consignments are recorded and completed by blood bikers using our app. Daily deliveries of blood to air ambulance bases across the country are also coordinated with the software.

“Moreover, there are no license fees to use Platelet Dispatch. Our offerings centre around services, and an open-source model keeps things simpler for everyone.”

Spotlight on the Platelet Dispatch system

Platelet Dispatch offers a streamlined digital alternative to traditional paper-based systems. Controllers work with the web interface to record requests and coordinate riders. Riders use the mobile app to update consignment status. The charities also benefit from better data security, and faster reporting and statistics gathering.

Some of the notable key features include:• Real-time dashboard updates.• Record inventory for each delivery. You can specify the items, count, and unit.• Assign consignments to riders, and other controllers.• Statistics and reporting features, with the ability to export your data.• Easy to use, modern, and responsive user interface that works on any screen size.• Offline location directory and online address search.• Mapping tools to see directions and distances.• User comments and private notes.

Looking to the future

“Looking ahead to 2025, there is a long list of features we wish to add to Platelet Dispatch.

“Live tracking of vehicles, task scheduling, unit management that lets controllers assign consignments to teams, and better fleet management are just a few things being worked on or planned.

“Further beyond, we’d like to expand and create software for other use cases, putting together a suite of tools focussed on real time operations. In particular we are looking into making software for search and rescue, and drone delivery services.”

To access a demo today, click here: https://demo.platelet.app

For further enquiries and to find out more, contact the team directly on:T +44 (0)141 674 7548info@platelet.appwww.platelet.app