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’, has been launched by GS1 UK to help drive adoption of GS1 standards for the third element of the DH-funded Scan4Safety programme, ‘places’
Head of Healthcare, Glenn Hodgson, said: “The identification of every person and product with GS1 standards is increasingly widespread throughout the NHS, and the financial and patient safety benefits widely recognised. LocationManager will help drive the use of GS1 standards for locations, help Trusts and suppliers manage deliveries and payments more efficiently, and assist them in linking locations to people and products.”
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the six Scan4Safety demonstrator sites of excellence, has recently applied GS1 Global Location Numbers to over 6,000 rooms across its estate. Theresa Gunn, Quality System manager, Derriford Hospital (pictured), said: “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 gives a clearer picture of the patient pathway.”
