The first ambulance service in the UK has joined the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) as a Public Authority Corporate Member.

South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) joined in July 2015 and in doing so also became the first member to join both of CILT's logistics and supply chain benchmarking club, Logmark, and its public authority benchmarking club, Palmark.

SECAmb has more than 3,661 staff working across 110 sites in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, operating across Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Surrey and North East Hampshire which include densely populated urban areas, sparsely populated rural areas and some of the busiest stretches of motorway in the country.

But, as the Trust's Head of Logistics Chris Haines explained, the ambulance service has changed significantly in recent years from a service that simply transported the patient to hospital to a service that brings treatment to the patient.

'To maintain the continuity of a vital supply chain, moving a wide range of complex healthcare goods and services, we have had to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions for the Trust,' he said.

'The implementation of a coherent and robust logistics strategy that supports and enhances the delivery of the ambulance high performance agenda has, and will remain, paramount.

'We pride ourselves on thinking outside of the box and, whilst extremely pleased with how well our innovations have worked, we are always willing to investigate new ways of doing things, regardless of which sector of transport and logistics they are found in.

'Logmark will enable us to learn more about how many of the blue-chip club members operate their supply chains, from inventory to operations. Palmark positions us in a community of other public sector organisations, where benchmarking analysis and open discussion can help significantly in the review of our policies and processes.'

SECAmb's decision to join Palmark was welcomed by founder club members Vince Dignam, Business Improvement & Performance Manager, City of London Corporation, and Ed Cross, Head of Engineering Transport Services, London Borough of Redbridge, who said: 'Palmark has been designed to cover 12 critical operational disciplines, where benchmarking is vital in demonstrating the continued delivery of lean and efficient public services.

'We enjoy an excellent club spirit, freely sharing best practices and learning from each other. As local authorities, we may operate different vehicles from those in an ambulance trust but we all share similar aspirations for excellence in areas such as work-related road safety, vehicle maintenance and collaborative working.

'No one sector has exclusivity on best practices. Chris Haines and the team at South East Coast Ambulance NHS Trust will be a most welcome addition to Palmark and we hope the forerunner of other ambulance trusts joining, too.'

Daryl Chesney, Head of Business Development at CILT, said: 'This is a landmark for the Institute's benchmarking facilities, as it is the first organisation to hold dual membership and reaffirms our overarching mantra that when a problem is shared, it's a problem halved.'