Being selected offers us the chance to harness the potential of GS1 standards for patients and the taxpayer and support the trust in developing best practice for procurement
GS1 UK supports the announcement by the Department of Health of the six NHS acute trusts that will act as demonstrator sites of excellence for the use of GS1and Pan European Public Procurement On-Line (PEPPOL) standards.
The six sites have been chosen to receive support and a share of £12m funding from the Department of Health. Each will demonstrate the significant efficiencies and cost savings, reduced error, and improved patient outcomes and patient safety from using the standards.
The six demonstrator sites are:
- Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
- Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
- Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
Tony Whitfield, director of finance at The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are thrilled at the opportunities provided by being selected as a GS1 demonstrator site of excellence by the Department of Health.
“The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is fully committed to the implementation of GS1 and PEPPOL standards in order to further drive patient safety and increase efficiency.
“Being selected offers us the chance to harness the potential of GS1 standards for patients and the taxpayer and support the trust in developing best practice for procurement. We look forward to the next stage and to demonstrate the benefits that these standards bring to the healthcare industry.”
Ann James, chief executive of Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, added: “We are delighted to have been chosen as one of only six sites of excellence to be at the forefront of rolling out these new, national standards.
We are delighted to have been chosen as one of only six sites of excellence to be at the forefront of rolling out these new, national standards
“Our selection comes as a result of a lot of hard work and commitment to this partnership from our staff. We look forward to the challenges and improvements this will bring.”
As mandated by the Government’s eProcurement Strategy , the implementation of GS1 and PEPPOL standards across the NHS in England, will begin at the demonstrator sites in January 2016 and the Department of Health’s centralised fund of £12m will be released in four phases over two years.
The Government announced that with this activity the implementation of electronic procurement systems will help deliver up to £800m in efficiency savings. The supply chains for hospitals will be made simpler, helping to reduce the estimated £150m the NHS wastes each year on products which have been either oversupplied or have perished.
Glen Hodgson, head of healthcare at GS1 UK, said: “Our warmest congratulations to the six selected demonstrator sites. Their commitment in championing and driving forward the adoption of GS1 and PEPPOL standards everywhere along the patient pathway will help the chosen sites to shift towards improved patient-centric care provision – and increase their overall efficiency. We look forward to keep working closely with the chosen sites to greatly improve the quality and safety of care.”
This new initiative will give invaluable insight into the true costs, practical challenges and resultant opportunities and benefits that arise from adopting the core enablers and primary use cases for GS1 and PEPPOL standards in a live healthcare environment. A major output of the demonstrator site activity will be clear guidance and best practice and UK-based exemplars that all NHS acute trusts in England can learn from.