Member Article

GS1 UK’s standards driving operational efficiencies and better patient care

GS1 UK has found that early adoption of its interoperable standards has significantly increased operational efficiencies among a network of suppliers and solution providers, also ensuring the delivery of better care.

Organisations including the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust have made nearly £4m in savings since their roll out of GS1 standards, and it is estimated that GS1-enabled programmes will save the NHS £1bn over the next seven years.

GS1 UK’s refreshed partnership programme launched this week aims to create a joined-up system for all healthcare stakeholders where data about every person, every product and every place can be seamlessly shared across the entire healthcare landscape.

In addition, the programme will support the delivery of NHSX’s key principle aims which include:

• reducing the burden on the system • empowering patients to support their own healthcare needs • creating a system based on interoperable and open standards centred on accurate real-time patient data • safer care • improved productivity.

This echoes GS1 UK’s vision of reducing unwarranted clinical variation and improving patient safety and operational efficiencies through access to accurate and trusted data. Once approved, GS1 UK’s partners can be certain that they adhere to NHS requirements for open standards. For a healthcare organisation on their interoperability journey, they can be confident that GS1 UK’s partners can deliver the solution to help them achieve their goal.

Part of the new partnership model focuses on an improved and more rigorous approval process for partner products which includes a practical product demonstration to showcase its capabilities in a real-life setting.

Greater emphasis is also being placed on supporting the long-term product development process for all partners. By forging this focused collaborative approach, GS1 UK can work closely with its partners to ensure GS1 standards are woven into their partner’s long-term product development plans.

This is where the best outcomes are delivered for patients, adding extra value to and improving the credibility of all GS1 UK partners.

Robert Flack, Head of Partnerships at GS1 UK, said: “GS1 UK’s unique barcodes and standards provide healthcare professionals and suppliers with the tools to accurately locate and identify the right person, the right product and the right place with confidence.

“We realised we could add considerable value to our partners in the health sector specifically, and we have updated our programme accordingly to provide them with the assurance of our standards, their accuracy and the accolade of being ‘GS1 UK approved’ to meet NHS guidelines.”

Christian Floerkemeier, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of scanning software company, Scandit, and the first GS1 UK partner to be approved, adds: “Being the first partner to be approved for the new programme reaffirms our deep understanding of GS1 standards and their application in healthcare, manufacturing and supply chain. For example, our mobile barcode scanning software delivered 95% cost and time efficiency improvements in the Scan4Safety project at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

“The combination of GS1 standards and high-performance barcode scanning software, automates workflows, increases task efficiency and frees up more time for patient care. We are confident that deepening our partnership with GS1 UK will further bolster our standing across multiple sectors and support us in striking new deals with other NHS trusts.”

While the initial focus of GS1 UK’s enhanced partner programme is the healthcare sector, it also intends to roll the scheme out to benefit its members in other industries shortly.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by News Reporter .