Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) had a supply chain that was plagued by dysfunctional processes and over-ordering.
The Trust had an estimated £8 million annual waste cost, which the team knew was mainly caused by over-ordering. But there was no visibility of the problems because stock wasn’t being correctly identified, tracked, and traced.
As one of the UK’s busiest and most successful foundation trusts, GSTT needed to address this issue in order to avoid compromising its history of clinical excellence and high-quality care.
The Trust overhauled its inventory management system, using GS1 Global Trade Item Numbers to uniquely identify products. The system has been automated in wards and all main theatres, for a higher level of control and visibility.
A purchase to pay solution was also introduced which talks to the inventory management system. This integration prevents opportunities for over-ordering because the two systems can work seamlessly together.
The new inventory management system enables GSTT to streamline ordering and supply chain processes. With the introduction of GS1 barcodes, required product information can be scanned and captured at point of use.
The Trust has saved over £4 million since implementation, just by reducing waste from over-ordering.
Clinical staff are now spending less time unravelling inventory issues. Instead, they are using their time to uphold the high standards of care that GSTT has become known for.
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