ASSET TRACKING/SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
which does not require investment in reader infrastructure provided that the Trust already possesses a suitable Wi-Fi network. However, high tag prices, and the large physical size of tags, are likely to limit the scalability of such systems.
Locating beds quickly for repair A great example of an NHS Trust successfully using active RFID tracking of beds is Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which uses an RFiD Discovery system to track the movements of a total of 846 beds, plus nearly 500 other medical devices at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in Shrewsbury, and the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
Prior to the implementation of RFID, keeping track of beds at SaTH was a real challenge. With the Trust affected by the same acute bed shortages seen across the NHS, finding a solution to locate beds quickly for maintenance and repair was of utmost importance to ensure the maximum bed availability at any one time. Now each bed is fitted with an active RFID tag, which broadcasts its unique ID at regular intervals. A network of fixed readers covering the main ward blocks in the two hospitals picks up signals, while all other areas of the hospital are audited daily by clinical technicians using mobile handheld readers. Information is then sent back to a central database, which shows the location where each asset was last ‘seen’ by the system. With data from the fixed readers, plus the use of four mobile readers – two per hospital – the team regularly captures the location of 95% of all tagged equipment. This has eliminated the need for technicians to manually check serial numbers, so they no longer spend hours walking miles to track down a particular bed for servicing. Nigel Watkinson, Medical Engineering manager for the Trust, who is responsible for the management of 12,000 mobile medical devices at SaTH, comments: “RFID tracking enables our technicians to locate beds quickly, so they can focus on their core tasks of servicing and repair.”
Improving patient safety Visibility of bed location has improved utilisation levels, as it is easier to locate a specific bed when required. Michael Woffendale, bed technologist at SaTH, comments: “The system enables us to have the right bed available without delay, which is great for patient safety.” RFID brings other
advantages for patient safety too – in the case of an infection outbreak, the Infection Control team can now see where a particular
Bryan Hynd, head of Medical Physics at Forth Valley Royal Hospital (FVRH), implemented an active RFiD Discovery system for mobile medical devices, including 860 beds, trolleys, and cots.
bed or device has been, so it can be quickly located and replaced, reducing further contamination. Similarly, if any beds are reported as faulty, it’s now much easier to identify and replace them to avoid any failure while they are in use.” To ensure that beds are maintained according to planned schedules, the tracking system automatically flags up service dates. Michael Woffendale explains: “Standard beds are normally serviced annually, but some specialist beds quarterly. Being able to look at the system each morning to see at a glance what needs to be repaired or serviced makes our job so much easier, and helps to avoid potentially dangerous oversights.”
Extending RFID’s use
As a result of the system’s success, SaTH is extending its network of fixed readers to a total of 30 at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and 28 at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
As a result, even more equipment movements will be detected
Andy Barrow, EME service manager at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Now we can identify hired mattresses quickly with a simple RFID scan without disturbing patients.”
automatically and in real time. Once all remaining fixed readers have been installed, the option for tracking other equipment is set to be made available to other departments, i. e. Estates, X-ray, and even IT. The Trust is also starting its journey to GS1 compliance by implementing the use of RFID-enabled asset labels for all medical devices, to allow for quick and accurate auditing.
Tracking beds and mattresses in East Kent
Another example of successful use of RFID to track beds and mattresses comes from the South East of England, where East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) is using an active RFiD Discovery system to track 5,000 medical devices, including over 1,000 beds. Like SaTH, EKHUFT is also in the process of labelling all its medical devices, including beds, with GS1- compliant asset labels incorporating passive RFID technology. EKHUFT is one of England’s largest hospital Trusts, serving a local population of over 750,000 with five hospitals, including the three main sites – the William Harvey, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and Kent & Canterbury Hospital.
A fixed reader at the bedspace at the Forth Valley Royal Hospital.
Managing hired mattresses Tagging dynamic mattresses has helped EKHUFT greatly in identifying hired mattresses among those owned by the Trust. With the mattresses all looking very similar, hired ones were often used without staff realising that they were deploying a hired mattress
August 2018 Health Estate Journal 55
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