Case Study: NHS Blood and Transplant achieves faster crisis response, 20% lower delivery costs and up to 30% less waste with ToolsGroup SO99+

NHS benefits from faster crisis response and patient support

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) needed a more reliable, responsive way to plan and replenish life‑saving blood products across five manufacturing sites and 15 stock holding units. Their legacy mix of manual databases and spreadsheets could not handle supply and demand variability, short shelf lives (as little as seven days), strict storage/transport requirements, or sudden demand spikes — all of which threatened availability for patients. After a proof-of-concept, NHSBT selected ToolsGroup’s SO99+ supply chain planning software to replace those manual processes.

ToolsGroup implemented SO99+ for demand forecasting, planning and vendor‑managed replenishment, creating a 24/7 “vein‑to‑vein” pull system with near‑real‑time (30‑minute) stock signals, hospital‑by‑hospital forecasts and automated replenishment integrated with hospital fridges and lab systems. The rollout reduced delivery costs by 20% and cut waste from overstocked perishables by up to 30% in the first months, improved crisis responsiveness and is being extended across more hospitals to further secure blood availability for patients.

NHS Blood and Transplant

Gerry Gogarty

Assistant Director Of Business Development And Strategy