Key results
9,357 locations uniquely identified across DBTH to ensure accuracy
GLNs can be allocated, changed or implemented in less than an hour
The problem
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (DBTH) has three main hospital sites and several additional services. As part of its inventory management system (IMS) rollout, DBTH wanted to ensure products could successfully be tracked and traced to site locations to improve traceability.
The trust decided to introduce GS1 Global Location Numbers (GLNs) as a cost-effective and consistent method of managing trust locations to enhance inventory management and enable point of care scanning.
The solution
Individual GLNs were mapped, across the three hospital sites, to ward and department level. GLNs were mapped and captured in the trust’s property management system which involved allocating 9,327 locations across the sites.
The trust then had to ensure all relevant systems; location management, purchase to pay (P2P), and IM systems; could capture and record the GLNs to be shared between systems. Bill-to and ship-to GLNs (circa. 1,200) were also uploaded to LocationManager to be shared directly with the trust’s suppliers for P2P to improve order processing.
The results
Since implementation, DBTH has experienced a range of traceability and efficiency benefits across the trust.
- 9,357 locations uniquely identified across DBTH to ensure accuracy
- Standardised naming and labelling for all physical locations to remove ambiguity
- GLNs can be allocated, changed or implemented in less than an hour
- Streamlined data sharing of location information
- Quick and accurate capture of location information
- Futureproofed to support further Scan4Safety use cases
Implementing GLNs has made our inventory management processes even more efficient. We can now trace products to locations and have futureproofed the trust to meet our evolving needs. With the core GS1 enablers embedded we can continue to explore and implement even more Scan4Safety use cases."
Cecilia Crump
Performance & information manager
Next steps
Due to the success of the project across DBTH, GLNs have now also been mapped across South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SWYPFT), a total of 1,547 GLNs.
To expand its point of care scanning rollout, DBTH plans to continue to map GLNs to bed space level and intends to explore the applications of GS1 standards across further uses cases such as bed management and asset tracking.