Inventory Management Systems Learning Day Strengthens Collaboration across NHS Trusts
We recently welcomed more than 40 colleagues from over 30 NHS trusts to our Nottingham office for an Inventory Management Systems (IMS) Learning Day. The event brought together organisations at different stages of their IMS journey.
The day was captured on video, highlighting key insights, shared experiences and the impact of Inventory Management Systems in practice.
Designed as a collaborative networking event, the day involved colleagues from 19 pilot trusts, including those preparing for the next phase of implementation, and organisations yet to begin using IMS.
The focus was on shared learning, practical experience and building confidence through partnership.
Balancing national consistency with local delivery
A strong theme throughout the day was the importance of balancing national consistency with local ways of working.
Gill Fox, Head of In Hospital Services at NHS Supply Chain said: “If we try and do something on our own within a trust, or lead it purely nationally, we’re never going to get the optimum solution. The best results come when we combine national learning and best practice with local ways of working.”
Trusts learning from trusts
The learning day created space for trusts to learn directly from one another, with more established sites sharing insights with those earlier in their journey.
Gill Fox said: “We have more mature trusts talking to less mature trusts. We have NHS Supply Chain colleagues working out in trusts and really trying to share that knowledge from one part of the country to another.”
By connecting experiences and lessons learned, the event enabled colleagues to discuss what works, what to plan for, and how to keep momentum going.
Planning, data and leadership
Attendees also shared practical advice for trusts preparing to implement an IMS, emphasising the importance of strong planning and governance from the outset. Trusted data, strong leadership and clear ownership were all highlighted as foundations for success.
Paul Pilgrem from NHS Partners Procurement Service said: “You must have an SRO at medical director level if you can, with finance and IT for the information governance part. Once you’ve enhanced that first element and got it correct, the rest just naturally flows.”
Supporting patient safety and stopping never events
Patient safety was a key focus of the day, with powerful real-world examples showing how IMS and scanning at point of care can help prevent never events.
Sarah Atkins from Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust shared an example where their IMS helped prevent a serious incident: “Staff had picked a right hip when the patient was having a left hip. The wrong implant was selected and visually checked by three different people. When it was scanned at the point of care, the system flagged it as the wrong body-sided implant and should not be used.”
Sarah also described how IMS has helped identify products on recall before use: “On the first day of go live in breast theatres, a dressing was scanned and flagged as being on product recall. It was straight away our first win.”
These experiences demonstrate how an IMS supports safer care, improving visibility, traceability and assurance at the point of care.
A partnership journey that continues
For trusts already part of the pilot, the focus is now on what comes next. David Newton, Scan4Safety Clinical Lead at NHS Supply Chain said: “For that group of people it’s about what do we do next? How do we keep the momentum, the cadence of change, and keep delivering new benefits?”
The Learning Day reinforced that IMS implementation is not an end point but an ongoing process – learning continues, and collaboration remains key.
Early feedback from attendees reflected the value of the day, with participants describing it as “very informative,” “insightful,” and “a good networking opportunity.” One attendee commented it was “definitely worthwhile,” while another noted it was an “insightful and helpful day that will help us prepare for implementing IMS.”
We’d like to thank everyone who attended for their openness, insight and willingness to share. We look forward to continuing the partnership journey as more trusts move into the next phase of IMS.
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If you would like to learn more about Inventory Management Systems and our plans for the future, please contact us:
In-Trust Inventory Management Systems (IMS) Team
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In-Trust Inventory Management Systems (IMS)
How we are deploying inventory management capability into acute hospitals.