Although the Government has stated that it has ring fenced NHS funding, savings still need to be made and there are operational ways to manage and/or reduce cost across the NHS by, for example removing unnecessary steps from key processes by:

• automating work
• automating information flows between tasks (i.e. reducing manual activity). A recent article on www.smarthealthcare.com stated “Government is more likely to find solutions in technology as an efficiency catalyst and change enabler in the NHS… ICT investments are therefore instrumental to the modernisation of the NHS.”

Implementation of barcode technology is a proven way to manage / reduce cost. The direct financial benefits (reduction of cost / savings / return on investment (ROI)) and indirect financial benefits (cost avoidance through increased patient safety (Coding for Success says patient safety incidence costs “the NHS about £2billion a year in extra hospital days”)) has been published in numerous case studies, such as:

• Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, implements GS1 bar codes and RFID technology to improve patient safety and increase productivity and
• Integrating information flows in orthopaedics at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• Herz-Zentrum Hospital, Germany Return on investment of standardised bar coding

A.I.M. Consulting Limited is here to help you manage / reduce cost through the implementation of GS1 Standard Barcodes and Traceability Systems: Contact Us