Delivering Expert Logistics to Power Imperial College London’s Women’s Health Research

Company:

Imperial College London

Industry:

Medical Kit Assembly

The Women’s Health Research Centre, part of Imperial College London, works alongside the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to deliver research dedicated to improving women’s health. The Centre conducts a wide range of studies, collaborating with sponsors such as Imperial College London, NHS hospitals, and leading pharmaceutical companies.

This particular project was conducted in collaboration with Tommy’s National Centre for Preterm Birth Research and Genomics England. Tommy’s is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to pregnancy and baby loss, and Genomics England is a company owned by the Department of Health and Social Care. The aim was to explore the genetic determinants of preterm birth and to develop better ways to predict and prevent preterm deliveries, reducing the risk of associated health complications.

To support the study, women who had previously given birth early were provided with medical testing kits that enabled the collection of essential genetic and biological data.

Meeting the Challenge

This large-scale project involved 34 NHS Trusts across England and more than 2,700 participants however, it needed to be launched within an extremely tight timeframe. The Women’s Health Research Centre quickly realised that assembling and distributing thousands of bespoke testing kits in-house would be impossible due to limited time, staff, and storage space.

To overcome this, the team decided that the right thing to do would be to outsource the logistics and fulfilment process. On the recommendation of Genomics England, who had previously worked with us on COVID-19 and Generation Study projects, they partnered with The Finishing Line for our proven expertise in medical kitting and distribution.

After an initial consultation with our Commercial Director, Josh Arrowsmith, we were able to provide secure storage, accurate assembly, and dispatch, completing the work within days of receiving materials. Each kit was labelled with prepaid postage and bespoke study logo stickers, ensuring full traceability and a seamless process for every participating hospital.

“The experience with Finishing Line really streamlined the process of providing sites with consumables and took a huge amount of work off our plates! The team were super-efficient with getting back to my requests and further supplies for sites were shipped promptly and without issue.”

– Anna Merrick, Senior Clinical Research Midwife at Women’s Health Research Centre (Imperial College London)

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NHS Trusts in England received medical kits

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medical kits assembled

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turnaround time

Imperial College London's Main Criteria:

Efficiency: Assemble and dispatch thousands of medical kits across England quickly and reliably.
Collaboration: Work seamlessly with Imperial College London, NHS hospitals, and partner organisations to meet all study requirements.
Accuracy: Provide pre-labelled kits and a tracked postal system to ensure consistent sample collection.

Collaboration & Impact

The success of the project was down to the collaboration, not only between The Finishing Line and Imperial College London, but also across over 34 NHS hospitals which involved 200 research staff, including midwives, nurses, and clinicians.

By managing logistics centrally, The Finishing Line helped ensure that every hospital used the same approved equipment and procedures, reducing risk of error and increasing consistency across data collection.

Additionally, the pre-labelled and tracked postal system meant that smaller hospitals without specialist storage facilities could participate, significantly broadening access and inclusion within the study.

“Because they had the postal system set up so efficiently, hospitals that didn’t have freezer capacity could still take part. It allowed us to reach hospitals that otherwise might not have had the opportunity.”

“I would send an e-mail and within 24 hours the team had already sorted out more supplies being dispatched to the site. It was really efficient, reliable and very personable.”

– Anna Merrick, Senior Clinical Research Midwife at Women’s Health Research Centre (Imperial College London)

Delivering Impact with Precision

Through close collaboration and precision in logistics, The Finishing Line helped Imperial College London’s Women’s Health Research Centre and its partners deliver a complex study under tight deadlines.

Our ability to provide end-to-end fulfilment, from storage and assembly to labelling and distribution, ensured a smooth and efficient process, allowing researchers to focus on what matters most: advancing women’s health through groundbreaking genetic research.