Published on: 1st May 2025

A newly implemented inventory management system is improving care delivery, service efficiencies, and patient safety at RNOH.

The Scan4Safety Inventory Management journey is now under way within the first surgical specialty – Hip and Knee theatre procedures – going live on Friday 2 May. So, what is the Scan4Safety Inventory Management?

Scan4safety utilises barcode technology to allocate products to patients at a specific time and in a specific place, enabling product traceability and patient safety warnings for expiry dates, product recalls,theatre operative scanning an item wrong handed implants for the procedure being undertaken and much more.

Mark Ashwell, RNOH Theatre Manager, says: “The Scan4safety IMS will bring an enhanced level of efficiency to our theatre inventory. We use many thousands of items per month, a lot of it is very specialised. Scan4safety IMS gives us the reassurance that those items will be there when we need them, allowing us to deliver safe, appropriate care. The IMS also means we can run a leaner inventory, with the right amount of stock at any given moment. So not only does it enhance care delivery and patient safety, it saves the Trust money.”

In addition to the patient safety benefits the Scan4Safety system allows, the Trust will also get the following benefits:

  1. Semi-automatic replenishment of products on a ‘used one, replace one’ basis,

  2. Full visibility of stock (clinical consumables and implants) across the Trust site,
  3. Visibility and reduction of stock wastage,
  4. Greater re-ordering control leading to a leaner, cleaner inventory,
  5. Improved management of consignment stocks.

What’s next?

Training and practise procedure capture has commenced in Main Theatres and various orthopaedic specialities including Shoulder and Upper Limb, Foot and Ankle, and the Spinal Surgical Unit. It will go live in phases over the next 4-5 months. As the new EPIC Electronic Health Record comes online in November, the Scan4Safety system will link into that and create even more benefits for patients, staff - and the Trust.

For more details please visit Scan4Safety