Becoming the largest user of RFID-tracking in the UK

In a significant development aimed at improving efficiency and operational effectiveness, NHS Lothian, the second largest Health Authority in the UK, has continued to expand its infrastructure with Lyngsoe Systems, becoming the largest roll-out of RFID tracking in the UK. The roll-out is planned to enable the tracking of over 42,000 items of medical equipment and around 6,600 surgical instrument trays. The expansion increases the Health Authority’s capabilities for managing and tracking sterile assets, medical devices and hospital beds across its multiple sites in the UK.

NHS Lothian, which delivers exceptional healthcare services across Edinburgh and the Lothians, operates five hospital sites offering acute, psychiatric, and pediatric care. With a comprehensive range of primary, community-based and acute hospital services, NHS Lothian caters to the populations of Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian and West Lothian, as well as providing specialist services to patients from the wider region of southeast Scotland.

With an initial investment of 140 RFID readers, which detect RFID tags connected to sterilisation trays, the health board is combatting challenges to provide availability of instrument sets for surgical operations. Clinical staff often had to postpone or cancel surgeries due to unavailability of sterilised instruments. Additionally, the sterile services department had minimal visibility of the supply chain to manage urgent requests and maintain a seamless sterilisation and decontamination process.