03.01.17
Scan4Safety pilots report early savings and patient safety success
The Scan4Safety project has been hailed as a success after pilot trusts reported that it has helped them save money and protect patient safety.
The £12m project involves installing barcode technology, similar to that used in the aerospace and retail industries, on patient wristbands, medication, surgical tools and implements such as breast implants and replacement hips.
At the beginning of last year, the Department of Health announced that Scan4Safety would be piloted at Derby Teaching Hospital, North Tees and Hartlepool and Salisbury FTs and Derby Teaching Hospital, Leeds Teaching Hospital and Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS trusts.
Tim Wells, consultant cardiologist at Salisbury FT, said: “The recent implementation of the Scan4Safety project in cardiology provides us for the very first time complete traceability of products such as implantable medical devices used with our patients.
“Knowledge is power – not only does this provide us with a level of data and insight that can be used to better challenge clinical practice and variation, helping us to reduce inefficiencies and improve patient experience and outcomes – more importantly it ultimately helps to safeguard our patients from avoidable harm.”
He added that in the event of a product recall, Salisbury FT can now easily and quickly track an affected product to the right patient.
The pilot trusts reported that the scheme had helped reduce unnecessary waste, manage stocks, save staff time and give patients information about their treatment. Early results from the six pilot projects suggest Scan4Safety has the potential to save lives and save up to £1bn for the NHS over seven years.
Scan4Safety means that supplies of medication and equipment can be monitored and replacements ordered automatically, instead of requiring nurses to search for stock manually, which currently takes about an hour per shift.
It also allows hospitals to track down patients if a fault develops in medical devices such as breast implants, and to avoid errors such as administering the wrong drugs or performing surgery on the wrong body part. Last year’s Carter Review estimated that introducing eOrdering, eInvoicing, electronic credit notes and advance shipping notifications could allow every NHS hospital to save on average up to £3m each year.
Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, said Scan4Safety was “a vital part” of the government’s efforts to make the NHS safer and more transparent and would help “transform standards of care”.
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