Introduction Of Bar Codes Will Save NHS Millions

A new system to tackle variation in how much NHS hospitals pay for products has been announced by Health Minister Simon Burns.

Some hospitals are currently paying nearly three times as much as others for the same products like surgical gloves and stents. Introducing a fairer and more transparent bar code system will lead to significant savings for the NHS in a market which currently costs it up to £6 billion annually.

Currently there are a multitude of systems and approaches for procurement and for identifying products used by the NHS resulting in a lack of consistent information. For the first time standard ‘GS-1’ bar codes on products will be used across the NHS making it easier to track and compare purchases.

It also has great potential to improve patient safety. Bar coding systems have been shown to reduce medication errors, the risk of wrong-site surgery and the effective tracking and tracing of surgical instruments, equipment and other devices to improve record keeping and reduce error, malfunction and contamination.

Simon Burns said: “The NHS cannot afford to continue paying different prices for the same products. By simply using bar codes, NHS procurement will become more efficient as organisations can see how much they are paying for products compared to others. It’s a simple idea that could save the NHS millions.

"Most importantly this is a vital opportunity to save money for reinvestment in front-line care at a time when the NHS needs to make efficiency savings.

“The NHS has enormous buying power if it works consistently and GS-1 bar coding is a key foundation block to improve it.”

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is already pioneering the use of bar coding and managed to save more than £500,000 in the first year.

By scanning bar codes as equipment is used on wards, the system can track available stocks and forecast future orders.

The Department of Health will now run a central procurement of GS-1 bar coding systems for the NHS to allow Trusts to use bar coding. This means all NHS Trusts can take part in the same procurement, helping them to choose the right system and saving them the costs of running their own procurement exercise.

The expectation is that all products should be identifiable by or carry GS-1 bar codes by the end of 2012.

(BMcN/KMcA)