To address the lack of product barcode data within the hospital catalogue systems Signetor maintain a healthcare barcode database with over 5 million items from over 20,000 manufacturers. This allows most products found in hospitals to be scanned and identified. Furthermore, the Signetor stocktake system has the capability to scan and decode GS-128 and HIBC barcodes to break down the barcode information into its constituent components of product identifier, lot or serial number and expiry date. This allows expired products to be identified and set aside. This improves patient safety and ensures expired stock is removed from the total stock valuation.

As the hospitals Signetor work with do not have inventory management systems no one system has a complete list of product pricing. The first process is to create a broad catalogue by cleaning and combining three sources of information, the hospitals NHS Supply Chain catalogue, the purchasing catalogue and finally 3 years of purchase order data.

A full walk round of the areas is undertaken to determine what count area barcodes will be required to be printed. It is useful to print full floor plans allowing all areas to be counted to be marked during the walk around. The hospital is sub-divided into departments, stock rooms, theatres, hallway storage and trollies holding stock. This provides a check list of all areas to be counted.

The Signetor team will then arrive and undertake the count. Each staff member will have a barcode staff ID badge that is scanned allowing full traceability connecting the location, counter and product.

Once the stocktake is complete the stocktake file is matched with the combined catalogue information to price the stocktake. The created locations allow pricing to be done at a storage area, department and hospital level. The reports also show the replacement value of expired products and the value of product due to expire in the next 3 months.

At the end of the stocktake the hospitals have a complete stocktake with a full audit trail for any checking or verification. The stocktake data is an invaluable tool when starting a Scan4Safety program, creating a complete product catalogue and providing an opening balance for a new inventory management system.