Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust (PHT) is one of the first hospitals in the UK to roll out a single inventory management system across the entire trust.
The technology, developed by Ingenica Solutions, which is also the first GS1 barcoding certified solution in the healthcare market, has already been implemented across a number of key areas at PHT with full rollout currently in progress.
PHT is an early adopter of inventory management technology, which although more-commonly found in the commercial sector, is gaining an increasing presence in the healthcare sector as a result of the Government’s mandatory requirements for all trusts to implement inventory management and GS1 barcoding standards to improve efficiencies.
Nicola Hall, managing director at Ingenica Solutions, said: “This project has seen PHT secure status as the first trust-wide rollout of an inventory management solution in the NHS.
“Today, inventory management technologies are instrumental in changing the way the NHS spends its money, and manages its products, and PHT is proof that these technologies can be successfully applied in the NHS.”
Already finalists for two industry awards in recognition of its use of inventory management to improve efficiencies, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, together with Ingenica Solutions, have a reputation within the NHS for excellence in inventory management and early adoption of the GS1 strategy.
As an industry best-practice example, PHT is already heralded as the NHS benchmark for inventory management success.
Jackie Pomroy, head of supply chain at South of England Procurement Services for Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said “One of the reasons we initially chose to work with Ingenica Solutions was due to its highly-advanced solution and vision for supply chain excellence. The team has helped us achieve more-efficient procurement practices and has dramatically improved our operations in terms of both financial and service levels.
Our ultimate long- term goal at the start of the implementation was to have the ability to track all products through to point of use, at patient level - something which few hospitals have accomplished, which we have achieved and will now be rolled out to all areas.”