Forward planning: the key to getting the right equipment to the right place at the right time

When you’re busy organizing large, multi-site clinical trials, endless challenges appear. Have you recruited enough participants? Is your nursing team in place? Then, just when you feel like you’re in control, a last-minute realisation that you haven’t yet sourced the equipment you need can cause the kind of unnecessary delays any CRO tries hard to avoid.

Perhaps you’ve been there already. Or maybe you’re facing this challenge right now. Either way, it’s not an enjoyable situation. The ‘Amazon effect’, where we make a few clicks and expect a delivery tomorrow, doesn’t quite apply when it comes to medical equipment.

MDR and local regulations mean that operating globally is a complex and dynamic landscape. However, Woodley Trial Solutions has the reliable, trusted expertise necessary to ensure the right equipment reaches the right place, and that it’s suitable, complies with regulations, and is fully calibrated and ready to use as soon as it arrives.

In 2023 alone, our responsiveness and dedication has helped us successfully complete more than 5,000 shipments to more than 60 countries around the world. In total this year, we have sourced and distributed more than 4,000 different items – ensuring every individual element is fully compliant with the territory to which it is being sent. Our technical and logistical knowledge gives us a significant advantage in understanding when and where there is a risk of delays, and how to mitigate against them in advance.

And it is from this expertise and experience, alongside reflecting on everything we’ve learned from our 35-year history, that we offer this simple piece of advice:

Early conversations alleviate pressure at every turn

With an existing client running a global trial, we had equipment correctly in place at sites around the world within just 13 days of the initial enquiry. In circumstances like this, our warehousing and logistics infrastructure, coupled with our detailed MDR knowledge, means shipping equipment to mainland Europe, America, or Canada can be achieved the next day and as standard still only takes two or three days.

There are, however, some situations when delivery may take longer due to customs or government regulations. Wherever you’re operating, we always provide full compliance checks and upfront timescales to ensure equipment arrives on site when needed and that the process is as quick and efficient as possible.

While we will always do our best to find a way to get you what you need, the earlier you make contact, the more we can add value and share information and knowledge at every stage of your trial. Whether it’s recommending the best products for your specific needs or explaining regulatory issues, we’re specifically set up to act as a partner and ally for CROs with services that go beyond simple product supply. By contacting Woodley Trial Solutions, you can expect:

• A dedicated, highly skilled team. With a wealth of experience within it, our team is able to provide the best possible service to clients around the world. Many of our staff have been with us for more than a decade, and our specialist account managing, purchasing, and medical engineering teams elevate our service beyond a traditional equipment supplier. We are always on hand to answer questions or provide further tailored support.

• A reliable, state-of-the-art ERP system. Through a series of strategic investments, our bespoke, fully traceable ERP system is now one of the best in the industry. It provides 24/7 transparency and reassurance, with all communication clearly accessible and available as needed.

• An extensive knowledge base. We continually invest to ensure our MDR knowledge is detailed, thorough, and consistently up to date – even in dynamic regions where regulations are consistently changing. Crucially, this helps to alleviate any potential headaches or complications with your trial before they occur.

• Only the highest quality vendors. With over 35 years’ medical equipment experience and more than 15 years of supplying for decentralised trials, we know which vendors can be trusted. You’ll only ever be presented with the highest quality equipment because we simply don’t work with vendors whose quality we cannot guarantee.

• Ready-made infrastructure. With a variety of logistics options in our portfolio, and locations in the UK, EU, and USA sitting alongside distribution facilities in APAC and South America, we can quickly supply almost every country in the world.

• A guaranteed partnership approach. At a strategic level, we are happy to join calls with your sponsors or governing bodies, sharing best practice and advice wherever we can and alleviating the pressure on your shoulders for you to be all things to all people. On a more practical level, our service extends from the sourcing and delivery of equipment through to calibration, management, support, and collection. So even if issues do occur, your study will only ever face the smallest possible downtime.

In short, we are everything you need for a tailored, end-to-end service. Maximum impact, minimum stress.

Getting your equipment supplier involved quickly clearly benefits all involved and we always welcome early involvement. Though, whatever your situation, it’s never too late (or early!) to contact our responsive team and put your clinical trial on firm footings.