November 10, 2016 Opinion piece
When news stories surrounding the NHS increasingly focus on a lack of money, what do we focus on when we’re in a hospital waiting to see a loved one?
We just want them to be safe and to be receiving the best possible care, that’s all that matters. Our work with NHS Trusts in England feeds into this - whilst wasting time and money can no longer be an option, what we all want is to offer better and safer care.
GS1 standards mean Trusts can make better use of the technology and data they have available, and gain greater control over their supply chain. It makes the treatment of patients safer and it means people have more time to care. When referring to GS1 standards, Lord Carter’s review couldn’t have been any clearer: it states that the introduction of GS1 standards will allow every NHS hospital in England to save up to £3million each year, while improving patient care.
What does it really mean in practice to implement GS1 standards in healthcare?
In practice, it means having a barcoded wristband on every patient. And having barcodes on all medical supplies, equipment and pharmaceuticals. And it also means using a barcode to identify every physical and operational location. GS1 standards offer the healthcare industry the same benefits that have been embedded in every stage of the retail supply chain over the past 40 years – improving operations and inventory management, and freeing up time to care. Applying the same standards in healthcare, means that we’re saving the Trusts time, money and – most importantly – we’re increasing patient safety.
Watch our new video to see and hear the future of barcode scanning in hospitals, every beep matters.
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