December 03, 2025 Industry news
GS1 UK is proud to announce that Glen Hodgson has been awarded honorary membership by the Health Care Supply Association (HCSA), the professional body representing NHS procurement and supply chain professionals.
This prestigious accolade and recognises individuals who have made an outstanding and sustained contribution to the community and its mission to deliver better patient care through effective procurement and supply chain management. The award was presented at the HCSA 2025 conference during the HCSA 65th Anniversary Gala Dinner in November.
For more than a decade as head of healthcare at GS1 UK, Glen played a pivotal role in transforming how the NHS and healthcare organisations use standards to improve patient safety and operational efficiency.
His leadership was instrumental in driving adoption of GS1 standards across the health service, most notably through the Scan4Safety programme, a world-first initiative that enabled point of care barcode scanning to uniquely identify every person, product and place. This programme delivered measurable benefits including more than 140,000 hours of clinical time released back to care, £5 million in recurrent inventory savings and improved traceability of high-risk medical devices.
Glen Hodgson, former GS1 UK head of healthcare and current vice president of healthcare at GS1 Global Office
Under Glen’s leadership, GS1 UK secured agreements with the health services of all four nations of the UK to embed GS1 standards in healthcare. Today, NHS Wales and NHS Scotland have national adoption programmes in place to implement GS1 standards across all health boards and trusts, underpinning traceability and patient safety at scale.
Together, these initiatives will enable the unique identification of every person, product and place throughout the patient pathway, supporting safer care and more efficient operations.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Glen went above and beyond both formally and informally to promote the vital work of HCSA and its members. He was a staunch defender of the NHS procurement and supply chain community, ensuring their efforts were recognised and supported during a time of unprecedented challenge.
Under his leadership, GS1 UK’s healthcare strategy evolved to focus on patient safety, clinical engagement, interoperability, digital safety and global best practice. Glen regularly spoke at national conferences, authored thought leadership pieces and engaged with policymakers to ensure GS1 standards were at the heart of initiatives to improve patient outcomes and reduce avoidable harm.
This recognition comes as Glen begins an exciting new chapter as vice president, healthcare at GS1 Global Office, where he will lead the execution of GS1’s global healthcare strategy.
With more than 25 years of experience and a proven track record in delivering transformational change, Glen will continue to advance GS1’s mission to make healthcare safer, smarter and more connected for patients worldwide.
