November 28, 2022 Industry news
The GS1 Healthcare Reference Book for 2022-23 has now been published.
Each year GS1 global compiles international best practice case studies from GS1
Member Organisations, suppliers, and solution providers showcasing the invaluable
benefits achieved from implementing GS1 standards.
The 2022-23 edition features 15 individual case studies including one from GS1 UK.
This year’s UK entry comes from Manchester University Foundation Trust (MFT) and
centres on using GS1 standards to reduce unwarranted clinical variation.
Challenged to become more efficient and reduce procurement costs and product waste,
MFT decided to implement an inventory management system (IMS) – one that could
hold GS1 Global Trade Item Numbers – to improve traceability and stock control across the organisation.
Tangible benefits
Over the course of implementation, the trust achieved benefits in four key areas:
- Product availability and forecasting: Nearly 3,000 implants captured in a year, almost £1M worth.
- Patient safety and product recalls: Recall processing times reduced to minutes instead of days or weeks.
- Unwarranted clinical variation: Reduced unwarranted clinical and cost variation between surgical procedures.
- Releasing staff capacity: One day a week saved for every senior radiology nurse.
For the staff, the impact has been invaluable. Consultant thoracic surgeon and trust specialty training lead, Mr Felice Granato explained: “We will use it [this data] to drive standardisation in thoracic surgery as well as to measure the financial impact of introducing new procedures when we link in with data such as length of stay and complications for example."
I can’t tell you how long I have been waiting for this level of quality data!
Mr Felice Granato
Consultant thoracic surgeon and trust specialty training lead
Thanks for this year’s contribution goes to Mark Stevens, head of purchase to pay, and Jacob Parry, Scan4Safety senior development manager – procurement and e-commerce at MFT.