Closed Loop Medicines Management (CLMM) represents one of the most significant opportunities for NHS trusts to apply Scan4Safety principles – improving patient safety, reducing medication errors, and releasing time back to care.
What is Closed Loop Medicines Management?
Closed Loop Medicines Management uses barcode scanning technology and digital systems to support all stages of medicines management in patient care. This includes the real-time electronic transfer of information across prescribing, dispensing, supply, procurement, and administration.
Why Closed Loop Medicines Management matters
Medication errors remain a significant patient safety challenge. An estimated 237 million medication errors occur annually in England, with potential clinical harm and significant costs to trusts. Evidence has shown CLMM, enabled by barcode scanning technology and the Scan4Safety principles, provides a proven approach to reducing these errors whilst improving operational efficiency.
Benefits NHS trusts are achieving through Closed Loop Medicines Management
Trusts implementing CLMM components report significant improvements:
- Patient safety: Reduction in medication administration errors
- Staff efficiency: Streamlined workflows and reduced manual data entry
- Stock management: Improved inventory control and reduced waste
- Data quality: Accurate, real-time information for decision-making
- Regulatory compliance: Better tracking for audits and recalls
Implementing Closed Loop Medicines Management systems
NHS trusts are taking different approaches to implementing Closed Loop Medicines Management, with some organisations starting with medicine administration processes whilst others focus initially on supply and stock management. There’s no single pathway that suits all organisations – the right approach depends on a trust’s current digital maturity, operational priorities, and specific challenges.
Some trusts begin their journey with Closed Loop Medicine Administration (CLMA), introducing barcode scanning at the point of care to verify the five rights of medication administration and reduce errors. Others start with Closed Loop Medicine Supply (CLMS), digitising processes such as ordering, dispensing, and stock management to enhance inventory control and streamline pharmacy workflows. Both approaches deliver significant benefits, and many organisations are now working towards integrating these components to achieve fully connected, end-to-end closed loop medicines management.
Explore the detailed pages below to understand each approach, review case studies from NHS trusts, and access practical guidance on planning your own CLMM journey:
- Closed Loop Medicine Administration (CLMA) – How barcode scanning technology supports safer medication administration
- Closed Loop Medicine Supply (CLMS) – Digital systems for ordering, dispensing, and stock management
Understanding Closed Loop Medicines Management workflows
Implementing CLMM requires understanding of how digital systems, clinical processes, and staff workflows integrate across the entire patient medication journey. We’ve developed detailed service blueprints that visualise CLMM processes at two different levels of automation – from intermediate implementation through to advanced systems incorporating automated drug cabinets.
You can view and download these blueprints on our CLMM service blueprints webpage.
How CLMM applies Scan4Safety principles
CLMM applies the core Scan4Safety approach – linking patients, products, procedures, and places through barcode scanning – specifically to medicines management:
- Patient identification: Scanning patient wristbands to confirm identity
- Product verification: Scanning medication barcodes to confirm the correct drug, dose, and batch
- Process integration: Connecting prescribing, dispensing, and administration systems
- Place tracking: Monitoring medication location and stock levels across the trust
The opportunity ahead
CLMM represents a significant opportunity to improve medicines management across the NHS. Through the Scan4Safety foundations – standardised barcodes, scanning technology, and digital integration – trusts can create safer, more efficient medicines pathways that directly benefit patients and staff.