Page 92 - BHTA 100 years

Coding developments, Bill discussions,
First Aid standard...
BHTA was helping to drive a move towards more effective bar-coding as a GS1 UK study showed that a third of nurses were wasting up to 2 hours on every shift searching for missing medical equipment – the equivalent of £900m a year in wasted wages. A standardised system to track and trace equipment and patients, which could provide a platform for the procurement process across the whole of the NHS, was being developed in 2011. That summer, it was announced that GS1 bar codes would be used throughout the NHS to improve ef ciencies and to save on procurement costs.
The Health and Social Care Bill was getting a great deal of coverage and was being monitored closely by BHTA as it progressed through Parliament. Phrases such as ‘Any Willing Provider’ and ‘Any Quali ed Provider’ were being discussed and debated at Section meetings and the industry attempted to work out what the implications of the Bill might be for member companies.
A new national standard for workplace First Aid kits was introduced in 2011. It had been 14 years since the contents for the kit had last been reviewed and the introduction of the new standard followed extensive work by BHTA in cooperation with the British Standards Institute. The new kits contained increased quantities of the products identi ed as being insuf cient and new additions such as burns dressings, foil survival blankets, face shields and gloves.
A good example of how BHTA and its members work with other organisations to develop new initiatives came with the introduction of a publication focusing on the
BHTA 100 years