HIF are thrilled to announce that 2025 will see the introduction of our brand new fleet vehicles! Our new transport will mark a significant step forward in enhancing our capabilities, efficiency and service quality.

Our new fleet is being introduced in a staged programme, with the first of our vehicles now arriving. We will be introducing a variety of brand new vehicles, tailored to meet the diverse needs of our operations. This will include vans with tail lifts, equipped for transporting medical records and sterile equipment, a fully equipped catering vehicle and, in line with our Sustainability Plan, a fully electric van for use by our Estates team.

Our Estates van, in particular, is an exciting development, which has been considered in line with our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint. This van will be used mainly on the Harrogate District Hospital site, to enable equipment to be transported to various areas of the site for maintenance, and we were therefore keen to procure an electric option, to keep emissions low in such a densely populated area.

All of our vehicles will be equipped with advanced safety features, modern navigation systems and increased storage capacity, allowing us to streamline our operations and provide top-tier reliability.

Our new vehicles are more than just a replacement of our previous aged fleet – this is a demonstration of our commitment to enhancing every aspect of our services. Our aim is for this new fleet to provide improved efficiency, enhanced safety and to support our environmental commitments.

Our Portering and Logistics Manager, Jordanna Daniels, says: “We are thrilled to take receipt of the first half of our brand-new van fleet this week! This investment will enhance our department’s efficiency, ensuring the safe and timely transport of pathology specimens and essential medical supplies.

"With improved reliability and advanced safety features, our new fleet reinforces our commitment to excellence in service and patient care. We look forward to the positive impact this upgrade will bring to our operations!”

We are currently ensuring all our drivers undergo rigorous training to ensure they are fully aware of all features of our new vehicles, as well as undertaking refresher training on road rules and our delivery protocols, to ensure that our service recognises immediate benefits.

The enhanced safety features of the new vehicles, such as driver-assist technology, will prioritise the safety of our drivers and cargo, which can include medical specimens, records and other items.

Our new Catering van has been custom-designed to maintain hot and cold foods at the correct temperatures to enable us to provide effective deliveries from our central kitchen at Harrogate District Hospital to our other sites, such as our Lascelles Rehabilitation Unit in Harrogate and Ripon Community Hospital. It will also allow us to scope further external catering opportunities, in line with our Business Plan.

We are confident that our new fleet will provide a positive impact to all of our operations and we are excited about the future opportunities it can bring!

If you would like more information about HIF or the work that we do, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].