Thank you for joining us
On 6 October we held our first face-to-face partner briefing at Lords Cricket ground and it was great to see so many partners in attendance.
We had a fabulous day with two key note speakers and a Q&A led by our GS1 UK chairman, Chris Tyas, and IPC’s Ed Thompson around implementing standards in the supply chain. In the afternoon we heard updates from our GS1 UK sector heads. For those of you unable to attend, or if you would like a recap, we have summarised some key takeaways from the event below.
Thank you too for your feedback on the event, although you weren’t the only ones to give us feedback! During the event when I looked out the window I noticed some confused ground staff and members of the public. Then, the head technician rather frantically took me aside. Apparently Lords were having some sound issues and all of our mic’d presentations were playing on every speaker throughout the ground... looks like we gave everyone a GS1 education!
We look forward to hosting even more events to come!
Claire Wintle, partner manager
Key event takeaways
Monica Bird, head of marketplaces
‘GS1 creates the rules, you create the tools’
- Marketplaces touches across all sectors, as all have an ecommerce sales channel
- It supports the transition of a GTIN from a physical world across the digital world
- Amazon, have enforced the use of GTINs for all listings, it is now a mandatory requirement to sell products to consumers
- EDI / GDSN are being looked at in more detail by the ecommerce space
- TikTok mandated the use of GTIN as of June 2022
- Sustainability strategies across Marketplaces has seen a positive shift recently, consumers are looking for a true sustainable product. Marketplaces are looking at ways to verify and validate claims on pack.
- GS1 is currently looking at modernising the standards so they enhance the digital world. This is updated via the GSMP (Global Standards Management Process)
Kerry Morrison, head of retail
- Future of digital, what it could look like, and the unlocking of QR codes using the GTIN - GS1 Digital Link, allows product packaging to connect to consumers via a single scan on a smart phone
- 2D Barcodes - used across all sectors, provides multiple benefits to provide enhanced information, product safety, recalls, consumer safety
- By 2027 majority of all products will hold a 2D barcode
- QR codes on pack allows further information to be provided to the consumer, ingredients, allergens, vouchers, promotions, recycling details, sponsorships
- Studies have reported that 90% of adults in the UK are active on a smartphone and they spend around 3 hours a day on their phone, will pick up their phones 58 times a day, which averages 4 times an hour
- 78% of spend is on digital media - Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, social media, TV
- Digital Link will be a very powerful tool moving forward for both businesses and consumers
Rachel Heaton, head of construction
- GS1 standards support the tracking of product information across the construction sector
- Efficiencies and safety are critical around the tracking of products utilising the GTIN (this is now becoming mandatory in several countries)
- GS1 UK is currently raising awareness in the construction industry, via our construction user groups which include large building merchants and suppliers
- Construction is looked at across a number of member organisations across GS1 globally as well as GS1 UK
- Construction Centre of Excellence is in place, this consists of 8 countries: France, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, UK
- Focus is on ensuring all manufacturers use GTINs on their products
Glen Hodgson, head of healthcare
- Scotland, Scottish Government - Appointed a national director for Scan4Safety, currently implementing across their health boards
- Wales - appointing Scan4Safety champions in each health board
- Northern Ireland - engagement is underway and GS1 UK are attending their event later this month (NICON)
- Positive S4S visit at Leeds Teaching Hospitals recently which included several colleagues from NHS E Transformation Directorate including Dr Tim Ferris and Dr Henrietta Hughes (Patient Safety Commissioner for England) along with representation across the 4 nations
- GS1 Global Healthcare Conference, event being held in Paris in mid-November, a big topic will be around the vaccine traceability project, stopping counterfeit medicines across Africa
- Closed loop medicines and live bed state are big topics at this time and an area which several trusts are exploring and implementing GS1 standards.
- Ming Tang, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at NHS E is focused on creating a database capturing all information around medical devices around people, product, place - IMS providers will be critical in supporting the NHS
- HSJ Patient Safety Congress, GS1 UK healthcare attending and will be supporting several speakers. Natasha Phillips, CNIO NHS England will be delivering messages around the relaunch of Scan4Safety. New website, marketing collateral and clinical sponsorship for GS1 standards.
- NICON event - Northern Ireland, GS1 UK healthcare attending and looking to spread awareness of GS1 / Scan4Safety
- There is no central funding for Scan4Safety however there are lots of little programmes for Trusts to access money.
Glen’s 5 opportunities for partners
- Traceability and interoperability are key moving forward – Covid-19 taught us we didn’t know what we had, where it had been or where it was.
- RTLS (real time location services). Understanding what equipment Trusts have and where its located ( via GLN and RFID).
- Every Trust must collect data from each medical implant with the patient, the procedure, the place and the clinician.
- Bed Tracking – There is a need for efficient procedures in bed tracking ere is a need for live bed statistics and more importance on good bed management.
- Closed loop medicine – making sure the correct patient gets the correct prescription. The right product, to the right place and most importantly the right person.