Deployment of GS1 standards across the NHS improves patient safety

A year after the launch of the Scan4Safety project, data has shown how the six selected NHS trusts are leading the world in GS1 standards adoption, improving patient safety and financial efficiency.

The Scan4Safety project was rolled out across Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.

Through adopting GS1 and PEPPOL standards, the trusts were able to ‘identify every person, every product and every place’.

According to a statement from GS1, the initial findings from the six demonstrator sites, suggest that for a typical NHS hospital trust, the benefits could be: time released for more patient care – equivalent to 16 band five nurses per trust, or 2,400 band five nurses across the NHS; a reduction of inventory averaging £1.5 million per trust, or £216 million across the NHS; and ongoing operational efficiencies of £2.4 million per trust annually, or £365 million across the NHS.

Rob Drag, Scan4Safety Programme Manager at the Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust confirmed: “We now have real transparency of the actual cost of our procedures and complete visibility of our stock. By better understanding our inventory profile and demand, we can now reduce costs in our supply chain and release the time our staff have been spending on administrative duties.”

Richard Price, Scan4Safety programme manager at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust added: “By using GS1 standards we’ve seen a big difference in our inventory management through re-providing clinical space and reducing both expired products and stock-outs.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Downs, director of finance and performance at Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said they have now saved £1.2 million annually through reduced consumption in theatres.

David Berridge, deputy chief medical officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust commented: “Through GS1 compliant barcodes, stock tracking is now more accurate. We’ve seen a significant reduction in clinical time spent locating products and therefore more time has been released to care for patients.”

Glen Hodgson, Head of Healthcare at GS1 UK, says: “We’re thrilled to see the great progress that all six demonstrator sites have shown in adopting GS1 standards. What we’ve learned from their activity is giving us clear guidance and best practice examples which can be taken to all NHS Acute Trusts in England. This week over 80 Trusts and 200 suppliers attended the latest Scan4Safety conference – showing the passion and desire to take the project wider and deeper throughout the NHS.”