GS1 UK welcomes Derby Teaching Hospitals’ Gavin Boyle on its Supervisory Board

London, 6 December 2017 - GS1 UK, the supply chain standards organisation, has today (Wednesday 6 December) announced that Gavin Boyle, Chief Executive of Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Derby Teaching Hospitals), has joined its Supervisory Board.

This is the first time a chief executive of an NHS Trust has been appointed to GS1 UK’s Supervisory Board and recognises the important work Derby Teaching Hospitals has been doing to improve patient safety, enhance clinical effectiveness and drive operational efficiencies through implementing GS1 standards in healthcare.

In 2014, Derby Teaching Hospitals became one of six demonstrator sites awarded funds from the Department of Health to demonstrate the benefits of GS1 and PEPPOL standards through the Scan4Safety programme.

Derby Teaching Hospitals has since implemented GS1 standards in all 35 surgical theatres, cath Lab and radiology suites and endoscopy, enabling the capture of more than 110,000 patient procedures, with 52,000 captured in the last year. In surgical procedures alone, the efficiencies have saved Derby Teaching Hospitals around £1.2m in 2016/17 and it is expected that a further £3m will be saved in 2017/18.

Gavin Boyle joined the NHS 25 years ago and prior to joining Derby Teaching Hospitals in March 2016, he was Chief Executive at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Yeovil District NHS Foundation Trust.

The Supervisory Board is responsible for the governance of GS1 UK and determines the organisation’s strategy, annual operating plan and budget.

Gavin Boyle, Chief Executive at Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I’m delighted to be the first NHS chief executive to join GS1 UK’s Supervisory Board. I’m excited by the opportunity this technology gives us to change the way we work across the NHS.

“By adopting barcodes we can improve patient safety, reduce unwarranted clinical variation and produce substantial savings. We’re leading the way at Derby Teaching Hospitals and I am keen to help other NHS organisations see the real benefits that come from adopting GS1 standards in healthcare.”

Jim Spittle, Chairman of GS1 UK, said: “The NHS is under increasing pressure to make efficiency savings, while improving patient safety. GS1’s standards in healthcare are one of many important measures to improve efficiencies in the NHS but to really drive home the benefits right across the board and usher in substantial changes, we need to demonstrate success.

“Gavin has been one of the pioneers of the Scan4Safety programme and it is his vision and passion to implement GS1 standards in healthcare that we believe will be a vital asset in our ongoing mission to help save thousands of lives and millions of pounds.”

- ENDS -

About GS1 UK

For further information or requests for interviews, please contact Tim Haidar: 020 7092 3584 / Tim.Haidar@gs1uk.org.

GS1 UK is a community of over 33,000 members working in retail, foodservice, healthcare and more. GS1 UK is one of 112 independent, not-for-profit GS1 organisations operating across 150 countries worldwide. GS1 UK helps everyone involved in making, moving and trading goods, automate and standardise their supply chain processes using the common language of GS1 global standards.

www.gs1uk.org