Funding sought for trials of patient ID system

The development follows a report by the National Patient Safety Agency, which found 493 cases of misidentification from 45 Trusts in a four-month study. The Government has also highlighted the importance of auto identification in the health service in the Department of Health’s policy document Coding for Success. The electronic wrist-band uses radio frequency identification (RFID) and has already undergone a successful trial in Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital.

Tony Davis, CEO at Medilink West Midlands, commented: ”We are confident that Safe Surgery Systems will be able to offer private hospitals and secondary care providers a return on their investment in just eight months, based on their trial at Heartlands Hospital. Once the trials are complete, this will be a great bargaining tool with purchasers so the potential for future sales will be very attractive to investors.”