There are a series of GS1 Identification Keys that are used in healthcare to enable transparency throughout the supply chain and patient pathway. These keys allow for people, products and places to be identified seamlessly, in a standardised format, so that the data captured is consistent.

Our GS1 standards are also both system and device agnostic, allowing this vital data to then be shared between systems and organisations to facilitate system-wide interoperability.

The Scan4Safety evidence report demonstrated that implementing GS1 standards improves patient safety, reduces unwarranted clinical variation, and drives operational efficiencies – delivering better quality and safety in healthcare.

Headline results include:

• The release of 140,000 hours of clinical time back to patient care
• Reduced prevented-error rates by 76 per cent, including elimination of all errors caused by wrong patient, wrong drug, wrong dose and wrong form at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
• Reduction in the average time taken for product recalls, from 8.33 days to less than 35 minutes at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• Non-recurrent inventory reductions of £9m across the six demonstrator sites
• Recurrent inventory savings worth nearly £5m across the six trusts