GS1 UK has welcomed the NHS 10-Year Plan and called on the government to accelerate digital transformation to achieve its ambitions.
Embedding trusted data standards across health and care will be critical to delivering safer, smarter and more connected services for patients and clinicians.
GS1 urges the government to prioritise three aims:
1) Safer care in the community
As care moves closer to home, continuity is critical to maintaining safety. GS1 standards ensure all caregivers have the right patient information at the right time. This prevents unwarranted delays, supports timely interventions and strengthens clinical confidence across hospitals, health centres, home visits and digital platforms.
2) Smarter resource management to support timely care
GS1 standards give NHS teams full visibility of stock, equipment and patient flow. This enables better planning, more productive use of resources and frees up staff to focus on patient care. By reducing waste and inefficiency, the NHS can deliver the right care at the right moment without unnecessary interruptions.
3) A more connected healthcare system for patients and clinicians
Embedding GS1 standards across the NHS ensures accurate information flows seamlessly between healthcare systems, services and settings. This joined up approach empowers patients to take ownership of their care through digital tools such as the NHS app and enables clinicians to deliver the right treatment in the right place, easing pressure on hospitals.
Together, these priorities will support the NHS’s long-term vision, embedding trusted data at the heart of digital transformation, powering safer, more effective and innovative care for the next decade and beyond.
George Lawton, head of healthcare, GS1 UK, said: "Data standards are the foundation of a safer and more efficient digital health service. They ensure the right patient receives the right product in the right place, every time. To successfully shift from analogue to digital, national adoption of GS1 standards and Scan4Safety principles must be a top priority. Embedding these standards across all new and existing systems is essential to delivering the NHS 10-Year Plan and improving care at scale."
With over half of NHS trusts in England already using GS1 standards to support inventory management and patient safety, the case for national rollout is clear.
Date: 3 August