Zebra Technologies Helps NHS Hospital Boost Efficiency, Saving Nearly 90,000 Staff Hours Annually

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust digitises operational, procurement and patient care workflows

BOURNE END, England – Sept. 4, 2023 – Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), a leading digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets, and people, today announced that Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (The Trust) is using Zebra’s MotionWorks™ real-time location solution (RTLS) to manage, track and trace medical equipment across its two large clinical campuses at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

The Trust, which provides healthcare to nearly one million patients annually, needed technology to track its critical equipment. Within its Scan4Safety programme, an initial radio frequency identification (RFID) pilot was planned for its intensive care unit (ICU) since it was difficult to track life-sustaining machines accompanying ICU patients as they were moved across wards and departments.

The real-time data insights generated by Zebra’s RFID solution has helped The Trust reduce cost driven by better procurement decisions and stock management. Patient care has also improved with the ability to prevent procedure cancellations due to misplaced items, helping ensure quick access to critical equipment during surgeries. Based on these outcomes, The Trust has expanded the use of Zebra’s solution across both main campuses and all patient-facing departments, saving 35 hours across 2,500 staff for a total of 87,500 hours annually shifted from looking for items to caring for patients.

“We believe this is the biggest deployment of RFID in healthcare for real-time location tracking in Europe, and Zebra has been a great support,” said Rachael Ellis, Scan4Safety Programme Director, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. “The system is flexible and easy to use, and colleagues have taken to it quickly, so we see huge potential for RFID to be deployed across other Trusts. The best outcome is a clear improvement to patient care. If we always have the right equipment on-hand when it’s needed, we can ultimately shorten length of stays which is a great result.”

The Trust selected Zebra for its openness to accommodate changing needs along with its ecosystem of technology and support as well as proven use cases with retailers and logistics providers who typically deploy RTLS across number sites to track thousands of items. Zebra and its partners, Tagnos and The Barcode Warehouse collaborated closely with The Trust to design and implement the solution which includes FX7500 fixed RFID readers, TC52-HC rugged mobile computers, RFD8500 handheld RFID sleds and ZT411 RFID industrial printers. The solution is also supported by Zebra’s OneCare™ maintenance plan.

“We’re delighted The Trust is benefitting from Zebra’s MotionWorks solution which has digitized and streamlined its operational, procurement and patient care workflows,” said Wayne Miller, Healthcare Solutions Director, EMEA, Zebra Technologies. “Zebra and its healthcare partners are creating and delivering technology solutions that enable clinicians to improve patient outcomes by elevating care through increased efficiency and productivity.”

The Trust plans to expand the Zebra MotionWorks solution to track patients’ personal belongings and manage equipment inventory. The solution’s versatility and scalability will help drive more operational healthcare improvements, now and in the future.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has deployed Zebra’s MotionWorks solution to transform operational and procurement workflows and elevate patient care.
  • This solution has improved procurement decisions and access to critical equipment, saving 2,500 staff and 87,500 hours annually.
  • Zebra collaborated with partners, Tagnos and The Barcode Warehouse on a comprehensive solution aligned with The Trust's business requirements.
  • To learn more, read the case study.


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ABOUT ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES

Zebra (NASDAQ: ZBRA) helps organizations monitor, anticipate, and accelerate workflows by empowering their frontline and ensuring that everyone and everything is visible, connected and fully optimized. Our award-winning portfolio spans software to innovations in robotics, machine vision, automation and digital decisioning, all backed by a +50-year legacy in scanning, track-and-trace and mobile computing solutions. With an ecosystem of 10,000 partners across more than 100 countries, Zebra’s customers include over 80% of the Fortune 500. Newsweek recently recognized Zebra as one of America’s Most Loved Workplaces and Greatest Workplaces for Diversity, and we are on Fast Company’s list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators. Learn more at www.zebra.com or sign up for news alerts. Follow Zebra’s Your Edge blog, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, and check out our Story Hub: Zebra Perspectives.

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Tracey Wong 
Zebra Technologies 
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twong@zebra.com

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Zebra Technologies
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k.fahmy@zebra.com

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