Digital transformation in healthcare has become one of the most talked about topics in recent times. Technology’s potential to revolutionise patient care – both from an operational and clinical perspective – is clear, and there is countless evidence to demonstrate its value. It is no surprise that many of the national strategies that have been set by government and NHS national bodies, have centred on the adoption and use of technology. NHS England’s recent release of the NHS long-term plan in January is one such strategy and is testament to the commitment to digital transformation across the NHS. A nationwide strategy The release of the NHS long-term plan addressed the need for integrated care across England and placed digital maturity at the centre of delivering this goal. As part of this, the plan aims to implement integrated care systems (ICSs) across England by 2021, to make health and care records accessible to all necessary staff and patients, and to continue to drive digital excellence in acute care through the blueprints generated from the Global Digital Exemplar (GDE) programme.
Further support for digital progression came in the form of the Topol Review which was launched in early February after a speech delivered by Matt Hancock, secretary of state for health and social care. During his address, Mr Hancock voiced the need to develop the digital skills of staff across the NHS, to ensure they are equipped to deal with the evolving digital healthcare landscape. He also emphasised the importance of scanning technology in improving care and safety throughout each touchpoint within the patient pathway. He warned that without standardised data, the NHS would continue to face an uphill battle on the road to achieving true interoperability. At this point, he praised the exemplary work of the Scan4Safety programme, stressing the significant impact it has had on the delivery of better and safer patient care. Given its successes, Hancock expressed his wish to see the programme’s standards and processes implemented by every acute trust in England. Without standardisation, the healthcare sector will continue to function in an environment where it is unable to share vital data between systems and organisations, struggling to breakdown existing operational silos. To break through
this barrier, the implementation of open standards needs to become an integral part of healthcare – this is where the work of GS1 UK makes an invaluable difference. About GS1 Originally introduced in retail, GS1 standards are now being applied in healthcare settings worldwide to improve patient safety and supply chain efficiency. GS1 UK works with key stakeholders – manufacturers, suppliers and trusts – to facilitate the adoption of unique identifiers based on GS1 standards, for every person, product and place. This one-of-a-kind classification provides organisations with increased end-to-end visibility throughout the entire healthcare pathway, allowing people, products and assets, to be accurately identified, tracked and located in real time and at any stage. The Scan4Saftey programme was built on this very concept from its inception in 2016.
Written by Glen Hodgson, Head of Healthcare, GS1 UK
Health secretary Matt Hancock recently emphasised the importance of scanning technology in improving care and safety throughout each touchpoint in the patient journey. Glen Hodgson, head of healthcare at GS1 UK, explains the benefits of standardising this process by using GS1 barcodes
Technology
Technology’s potential to revolutionise patient care
GS1 standards in practice The six Scan4Safety demonstrator sites started off with the implementation of three core enablers applied to three primary use cases. By implementing the core enablers: the Global Service Relation Number (GSRN) for patient wristbands, the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) for catalogue management, and the Global Location Number (GLN) for location identification, each trust was able to achieve numerous improvements in patient safety and operational efficiency across inventory management, purchase-to-pay and product recall. Three years after adoption, the value of standardisation and the use of scanning E
Volume 19.1 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE
39
