Medicines packs with poor barcodes: NHS England survey – pharmacy input needed
Community Pharmacy England is hearing about more reports of missing, inaccurate or unscannable barcodes on medicines packs. Pharmacy teams have told us this can affect patient safety and pharmacy workload.
NHS England is now seeking further evidence from pharmacy teams as well as other parts of health and care to better understand the impact and possible actions.
What pharmacy teams are seeing
Since January 2025, more medicines have entered the UK supply chain:
- without a usable 2D DataMatrix barcode, or
- with barcodes that do not scan reliably.
Reports suggest this may have increased following recent packaging and labelling changes introduced under the Windsor Framework.
Why this matters in practice
Pharmacy teams have told us that poor‑quality barcode data can:
- Interrupt dispensing and checking workflows
- Reduce the effectiveness of medicines verification
- Undermine digital safety checks that rely on scanning
- Increase manual work, delays and frustration
These issues matter because barcode scanning underpins safer, more efficient pharmacy services.
What Community Pharmacy England is doing
Community Pharmacy England has shared feedback received from pharmacy teams with NHS England, including concerns about:
- Limited availability and inconsistent use of Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs)
- A decline in 2D DataMatrix barcodes on UK‑only medicine packs
We support the collection of further real‑world evidence.
Please share your experience – NHS England survey
NHS England is inviting pharmacy team members to complete a short survey on the impact of incomplete or inaccurate barcode data on patient safety and day‑to‑day practice.
- Takes around 10–15 minutes
- Responses are anonymous (unless you choose to leave contact details)
- Deadline: 5pm on Thursday 18 June 2026
Complete the NHS England survey:
Patient safety impacts of incomplete or inaccurate barcode data in NHS pharmacy services
