GS1 UK launches new LocationManager service in support of NHS drive for operational efficiencies and improved patient safety
Online service will help Trusts and suppliers manage all location information across the NHS
London, 23 March 2017 - GS1 UK today launched LocationManager, an online service that gives NHS Trusts and their suppliers a simple, cost-effective and efficient way to manage and access information about all locations across the NHS.
As part of the Department of Health funded Scan4Safety programme, all Acute Trusts in England have been mandated to use GS1 standards to identify and track every person, product and place throughout the NHS. LocationManager will help drive adoption of GS1 standards for third element of this programme – places. By uniquely identifying every location across the healthcare system, consistent information can be collected whenever an event occurs – whether this involves ordering or delivery of goods or dispensing of patient care.
Glen Hodgson, Head of Healthcare at GS1 UK says, “The identification of every person and product with GS1 standards is increasingly widespread throughout the NHS, and the financial and patient safety benefits are widely recognised by everyone. The launch of LocationManager is the next milestone. It will help drive the use of GS1 standards for locations and will help Trusts and suppliers manage deliveries and payments more efficiently. But importantly it will help Trusts to link locations to people and products – another step towards the goal of certainty of truth of who did what to whom - when, where and why.”
The new LocationManager service allows Trusts and suppliers to store, manage and access all location information in a single database, enabling:
- Single point of access to location information for all Trusts and suppliers
- Any physical, operational or legal location can be identified in seconds by Trusts or suppliers
- Improved patient care due to certainty of delivery to the right location
- Reduced costs due to fewer invoice queries and correct payment for suppliers
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the six Scan4Safety demonstrator sites of excellence, have recently applied GS1 Global Location Numbers (GLNs) to over 6,000 rooms across their estate. Theresa Gunn, Quality System Manager at Derriford Hospital, says “Now we have identified every room using GLNs and GS1 barcodes we can accurately and efficiently record every location where activities occur. Staff can quickly and easily scan the GLN barcode to track where products are delivered to or where care is administered. This enables us to manage our inventory far more efficiently, saving time and money, and also have a clearer picture of the patient pathway.”
The six Scan4Safety sites were closely involved in the development of LocationManager and are using the service to manage thousands of locations. The service is now open to all other Trusts and their suppliers.
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About GS1 UK
For further information or requests for interviews, please contact Tim Haidar: 020 7092 3584 / Tim.Haidar@gs1uk.org.
GS1 UK is a community of over 31,000 members working in healthcare, retail, foodservice and more. GS1 UK is one of 112 independent, not-for-profit GS1 organisations operating across 150 countries worldwide. GS1 UK helps everyone involved in making, moving and trading goods, automate and standardise their supply chain processes using the common language of GS1 global standards. In healthcare, we work with healthcare providers and suppliers to improve patient safety, enhance clinical effectiveness and drive operational efficiencies. GS1 standards are helping the NHS save thousands of lives and millions of pounds.