October 23, 2015 Industry news
Both leading UK Trusts are recognised for best implementation of GS1 standards
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust and Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust both won the “GS1 Healthcare Best Provider Implementation Case Study Awards” at the Global GS1 Healthcare Conference in Budapest this week, for adopting GS1 standards in at least one process in their hospital.
The awards are organised by the GS1 Healthcare Provider Advisory Council (HPAC), which consists of key decision makers and early adopters of GS1 standards in the global healthcare industry.
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust’s supply chain team has undertaken a major project to implement a best-practice inventory management system – fully utilising GS1 standards – in a 27 theatre complex, 40 supporting locations and other sites. This will lead to significant cultural changes in their approach to inventory management.
We are delighted to win this award. It’s a reflection of the continuing hard work by everyone on this project – but more importantly, it’s a reflection of the increased use of GS1 standards in the healthcare industry, both in the UK and globally. The adoption of GS1 standards by all healthcare providers and their suppliers will create efficiency, quality and safety benefits for all parties.”
Jackie Pomroy, Head of Supply Chain at South of England Procurement Services
Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has developed an in-theatre usage and procedure level costing system using GS1 barcodes to capture staff, consumables and the time used in an operation, leading to a significant reduce of the volume of stock held and accurately cost data.
We are very pleased to win this award, which demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the adoption of GS1 standards. Having worked in the retail industry, I understand the value of GS1 standards and how they can transform the procurement, inventory management and supply chain efficiency of the healthcare industry – and can also improve patient safety, and reduce costs at the same time, whilst providing real management information to address clinical variation.”
Kevin Downs, Director of Finance and Performance at Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Glen Hodgson, Head of Healthcare at GS1 UK, said: “We warmly congratulate both winners for this great achievement. Both Trusts are exemplar sites and have been shortlisted by the Department of Health as fully funded demonstrator sites. We look forward to working with them in order to further support the Department of Health’s efficiency programme. GS1 standards deliver improved patient safety, greater regulatory compliance and operational efficiencies.”