Improving Safety and Efficiency in Orthopaedics

November 12, 2024

CASE STUDY

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHPNT), the largest hospital in the South West Peninsula, provides secondary care to 450,000 people and specialist services to nearly two million. As a Scan4Safety demonstrator, UHPNT committed to improving patient safety and efficiency by adopting GS1 standards for realtime supply chain tracking.

Genesis was engaged to achieve these goals by automating inventory point-of-care tracking.

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THE CHALLENGE

UHPNT’s reliance on manual inventory management created significant operational and safety challenges. Without automation, staff had to keep track of stock levels manually, often leading to expired items going unnoticed and records lacking accuracy. This system made it difficult to ensure that essential surgical supplies were always available when needed.

In the Orthopaedic theatres, for example, 57% of critical items were limited to just one in stock at any given time, heightening the risk of delays or last-minute, costly same-day
deliveries. On occasions when supplies ran out, surgeries faced potential cancellations, impacting patient care and increasing operational expenses.

To address these issues, UHPNT sought an automated solution that would guarantee timely replenishment, reduce waste from expired products, and provide real-time data for better stock management. Achieving this would also help the Trust meet vital compliance standards, streamlining operations and enhancing patient safety.

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THE SOLUTION

Genesis introduced its Inventory and Point of Care solutions, leveraging GS1 standards to create a seamless and precise system for tracking patients, products, and locations throughout the hospital. By integrating these standards, Genesis implemented a full-scale transformation of UHPNT’s inventory management. The system’s automated stock replenishment features now flag items nearing expiry, allowing staff to proactively
address shortages and reduce waste from expired stock. Critical supplies are now available without the risk of unnecessary overstocking or missed reorder points.

Genesis further provided handheld scanning devices for quick and accurate tracking of high-priority items, such as implants and other essential surgical tools, directly at the point of care. This gave staff real-time oversight of stock levels, allowing them to predict and adjust replenishment needs swiftly, whilst saving Clinical teams from the time-intensive task of manual inventory checks. These improvements have supported patient safety and more reliable and streamlined supply management efficiency across the Trust.

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PROJECT RESULTS – £90k stock savings

£90,000 in stock savings while enhancing patient safety and compliance. Automated
tracking and streamlined inventory management minimised waste and allowed staff to prioritise patient care.

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“Scanning products before surgery improves patient safety by reducing the risk of human error and, due to automatic electronic stock replacement processes, reduces the likelihood of operations being cancelled. Staff morale has also been increased because they can spend more time caring for patients, rather than on the reordering and re-equipping of stores.”

Mark Brinsden, Trauma and Orthopaedic Consultant