The importance of product identification to meet regulatory requirements.
Product traceability is an essential part of securing the healthcare supply chain and improving patient safety. Accurate and unique product identification, enables supplies to be tracked from the point of manufacture on the supply chain side, directly to the point of care or use at the patient side.
It is this level of visibility that provides the foundations for better and safer care. However, this is only possible if barcodes are clear and scannable, and that the product data encoded within is correct and unique.

Introducing the "Barcoding success" webinar series
As healthcare suppliers and manufacturers it is important to make sure your products meet the identification criteria needed to deliver traceability. This is where using GS1 standards helps.
Our "Barcoding success" series will provide you with step-by-step implementation guidance on how to use GS1 standards to comply with healthcare regulation.
Designed with healthcare manufacturers and suppliers in mind, our GS1 standards experts, Ben Clarke and Chris Florey, will share their expert knowledge of the regulatory landscape and equip you with the practical tools you need to achieve barcoding success.
How the series works
Split into three short series, "Barcoding success" will highlight:
- The core principles
An introduction to GS1 standards, how and where to use them, and how they apply to healthcare regulatory requirements.
- Identifying your products
A practical look at how to create product identifiers (Global Trade Item Numbers - GTINs), key tips on when to change them, and how to encode production information correctly.
- Barcoding best practice
Building expert knowledge of which barcodes to use, and how to maximise quality to ensure they can be scanned at the point of care or use.
You can register for any of the sessions in a series that meet your organisation's needs so you can tailor your learning programme to suit you. Sign up for one series, or catch them all, the choice is yours.
Who is this series for?
The "Barcoding success" webinar series is open to all manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and suppliers that provide healthcare products used by provider organisations operating in the UK.
This includes, but is not exclusive to, those operating in pharmaceutical and medical device organisations with the following responsibilities:
- Packaging and label design
- Regulatory compliance
- Quality assurance
- Supply chain
- Sales
- Marketing
Each session will equip you and your organisation with the knowledge and tools to accurately identify your products from the outset. This will help you to better support your customers and clients as they implement their point of care scanning programmes.
What you will learn
Getting started in healthcare
Your introduction into our basic principles – our GS1 Identification Keys and how they work.
Location, Location, Location
Explore why effective place management is so valuable and where GS1 Global Location Numbers (GLNs) fit in.
Managing GLNs with LocationManager
We introduce you to the UK's national GLN registry. Learn about LocationManager and how best to use it.
Basic UDI-DI and EU MDR
How to use the basic principles of GS1 standards for Basic UDI-DI to comply with EU Medical Device Regulation.
Getting product identification right
A "how to" guide for identifying your healthcare products correctly. Learn what identifiers to use and when.
Choosing the correct GTIN to use
Learn which GTINs are best for your products as we tackle the debate between GTIN-13s and GTIN 14s.
When do you need to change your GTINs?
You've used a GTIN for your product but have made product changes. We take you through how and when to change your GTIN.
Barcoding additional data
Learn how to encode essential data such as batch, date, and serial numbers (Production Identifiers) in your barcodes.
Know your barcodes
With so many types to choose from we take you through top tips on how to choose the right barcode for your needs.
Barcoding best practice
Make sure your barcodes are fit for purpose and ready to use. Learn what makes a high-quality barcode.
Our healthcare webinars
Whatever you might need some support with, you will find a session that is right for you.
Take a look at our series content outlined below and when you are ready to learn more, sign up for one or more of our upcoming webinars.
Part one - The core principles

GS1 standards in healthcare - 27 July at 10:00am-10:45am
A prerequisite for regulation across many global markets, GS1 standards are frequently used to comply with identification and barcoding requirements for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and assets.
For manufacturers or labellers of these items, our standards can be used to meet the automatic identification and capture (AIDC) requirements, such as those for the EU Medical Device Regulation.
This brief introduction will provide you with a short guide into the most commonly used GS1 standards in healthcare.

Place management and GLNs - 1 August at 12:00pm-12:45pm
Used by healthcare providers and their suppliers, GLNs enable the unique identification of every organisation (i.e. an NHS trust), physical location (i.e. a department) and function (i.e. accounting) within a healthcare system.
Location information can then be captured wherever an event occurs, including directly at the point of patient care, each time an item of medical equipment is used, or goods are ordered or delivered.
This session will explain how healthcare suppliers and providers can successfully allocate and manage GLNs.
Top tip: This webinar compliments our other Barcoding success series webinars and will be useful to view before attending the LocationManager for suppliers session on 11 August.

LocationManager for suppliers - 11 August at 11:30am-12:15pm
LocationManager is a central GLN registry where suppliers and providers share their key location information.
This provides a single source of accurate location information available to all parties. You can be sure you are invoicing, shipping, and billing the right entities, locations and departments.
More than 35 hospital providers are actively managing and updating all of their GLNs in LocationManager, and in excess of 900 suppliers, have already subscribed.
Join this short webinar to learn more and find out how it works.

Basic UDI-DI and FSNs - 8 September at 12:00pm-12:45pm
Within the EU MDR (Medical Device Regulation), a new identifier has been introduced to classify a group of products – the Basic UDI-DI (BUDI-DI).
BUDI-DI is the primary identifier of a device model assigned at the level of the device unit of use and must now be assigned to a product before it can be submitted for market registration and approval by authorities in the EU.
This session will explore how the GS1 Global Model Number (GMN) can be used to meet this requirement, and what UDI requirements are needed for MHRA Field Safety Notices (FSNs).