What is NETIS?
The National Equipment Tracking Information System (NETIS) is designed to hold information about medical equipment/assets and detail of where they are located across the NHS. It will “consolidate multiple data sets to provide a single and coherent view of medical assets across the NHS landscape”1.
The objective of NETIS
The need for NETIS stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic where the NHS faced a national challenge around equipment availability and where it was located. However, the ability to do so was limited due to variations in trust processes around procuring and managing equipment.
NETIS intends to serve as a “visualisation tool that will allow easy access to insight and data extraction at local, regional and national level.
National equipment tracking in Scotland
NHS Scotland has also established a similar system, the national NHS Scotland Medical Equipment Management System (NMEMs).
In response to challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS Scotland developed NMEMs to “enhance medical equipment visibility, improve strategic asset management and strengthen national healthcare resilience across NHS Scotland”2. The aim is to ensure “consistent data classification and management” for medical equipment across Scotland to support national requirements2.
The importance of GS1 standards
By standardising processes and equipment information, NHS organisations can make better use of digital systems to centralise information to build a national view of assets.
GS1 standards support NETIS and NMEMs by enabling the consistent and accurate identification of equipment across systems and organisations.
Using the GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) and/or GS1 Global Asset Identifier (GIAI), helps to ensure that information is standardised so it can be matched reliably across supplier, medical equipment stores and clinical environments.
When linked to GS1 Global Location Numbers (GLNs), unique location identifiers, this creates a stronger foundation for traceability, automation and interoperability. GS1 UK’s LocationManager provides a central database to store GLNs so location information can be updated once and shared with multiple stakeholders.
Benefits to medical equipment suppliers and manufacturers
- Supports NHS responsiveness to large-scale events through procurement efficiencies3
- Improved equipment maintenance and servicing for efficiency3
- Better demand planning to ensure asset availability when needed3
- Greater visibility of equipment distribution across the NHS3
