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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Real-time location systems (RTLS) can help hospitals find equipment and people, coordinate workflows, and identify when devices need maintenance. At Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NHS England reported that a 2023/24 trial was associated with a 75% decrease in clinical incidents related to tracked equipment and saved frontline staff up to 30 minutes a day locating equipment. Those are local results, not a forecast of how much safer hospitals worldwide will become.
What RTLS does in a hospital
RTLS combines tags, location-detection infrastructure, and software to show where tagged assets or people are. Depending on the design, a system may identify a room, zone, or more precise position. The practical safety value is not location data by itself: it comes when staff can use that information to find equipment, coordinate a response, or act on a maintenance or security alert.
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One NHS England example used radio-frequency identification (RFID) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tags communicating through hospital Wi-Fi. Cisco DNA Spaces and an AeroScout engine estimated tag locations, while a portal displayed location and device or maintenance details. This is one deployment architecture, not a universal RTLS blueprint. NHS England Digital’s Mid Cheshire case study, last edited 22 May 2025, describes the system and its implementation.
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What the Mid Cheshire case shows
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides acute care to around 300,000 people and employs more than 5,000 staff. The trial site, Leighton Hospital, has 540 beds. Those figures describe the setting, not the system’s effectiveness.
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- Frequency: UHF 860-960MHZ Chip: ALIEN Higgs-3
- Protocol: EPC Class1 Gen2, ISO18000-6C
- EPC: 96bits ,TID: 32bits User: 512bits
- Reading distance:1~8 meters(depends on the Reader)
- Applications: Supply Chain Management; Distribution Logistics; Product Authentication; Asset Inventory and Tracking; Baggage Handling and Tracking
Locating equipment and reducing search time
NHS England reported that the 2023/24 trial saw a 75% decrease in clinical incidents related to tracked equipment. Frontline staff saved up to 30 minutes per day locating equipment. The report also said the loan store was rarely out of infusion pumps after the system was introduced, with equipment and biomedical engineering staff able to respond when stock needed replenishing.
These figures concern the tracked-equipment trial at one trust. They should not be read as proof that RTLS will produce the same change elsewhere, or that all clinical incidents fell by 75%. The reported incident measure is specifically related to tracked equipment.
Maintenance readiness
RTLS can support safety by helping engineering teams locate devices approaching planned preventative maintenance. NHS England’s case study said no tracked device had missed planned preventative maintenance at the point described. That is a reported result from the case, not evidence that an RTLS system eliminates missed maintenance across hospitals.
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- 1.Built-in high-sensitivity UHF RFID chip (860–960MHz) provides excellent read distance and fast data capture. Ideal for inventory control, warehouse tracking, and retail logistics.
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- 3.Mini-sized RFID labels (25mm x 15mm) are great for tagging small items such as tools, electronics, samples, and library materials, especially when space is limited.
- 4.RFID READER CONFIGURATION NOTICE – Tag data display may vary depending on RFID reader hardware, software, and memory-bank settings. For full unique tag identification, compatible readers should support complete EPC and/or full-length TID memory reading.
- 5.Please note: These tags are not suitable for metallic surfaces. For best results, apply only on non-metal materials.
Mid Cheshire Medical Engineering Manager Jon Ollerhead explained that staff could order tagged devices by maintenance date and prioritize equipment nearing its maintenance window. Location visibility therefore supported a process—finding and servicing equipment—rather than replacing the maintenance program itself.
How the rollout developed
The case study describes an earlier pilot involving 400 infusion pumps, an initial rollout of 200 tags, and a later stage with 450 active tags or devices. These counts refer to different stages and contexts; they are not interchangeable measures of one deployment phase.
Where RTLS may contribute to safety
Equipment availability and workflow
Knowing where equipment is can reduce time spent searching and may help teams manage stock, returns, cleaning, and readiness. These benefits depend on staff acting on accurate information and on workflows that keep devices visible and available. The Mid Cheshire case is the clearest local example in the sources here; it does not establish a universal effect.
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- Compliant with ISO 18000-6C and EPC Class 1 Gen 2 standards for use with compatible RFID readers and writers. A compatible reader/writer is required and sold separately.
- Tag uses an IMPINJ U8 chip with an operating frequency of 860–960 MHz. To write EPC data, connect a compatible reader/writer, place the tag in its reading area, enter the EPC code in the supporting software, then read it again to confirm the data.
- Tag shell is aluminum foil and PET material, waterproof and wear resistant, ideal for long-term use.
- Adhesive backing design can be attached to the device. The effective reading radius is 12 m.
- Widely used in electronic shelves, auto parts tracking, IT asset management, inventory counting, etc.
Patient and staff safety applications
Healthcare RTLS products may also be configured for infant security, management of vulnerable patients at risk of wandering, and staff duress alerts. Other vendor-described applications include hand-hygiene monitoring, wayfinding, and environmental monitoring. HID’s healthcare solutions page describes these offerings, but a vendor’s description of a capability is not independent evidence that it improves clinical outcomes.
For any such use, the important questions are operational: what event triggers an alert, who receives it, how quickly they are expected to respond, and what happens if the tag, network, or location estimate fails. A tracking feature supports a safety process only when that process is clearly designed and staffed.
What the wider research can—and cannot—establish
A 2021 systematic review synthesized 42 articles on RTLS in healthcare. Its studies covered varied settings and uses: 12 were conducted in emergency departments, seven across an entire hospital, and six on surgical wards. The review categorized 24 studies as observational, 12 as descriptive, and six as experimental.
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- Working frequency: 13.56MHz；Write times:> 100,000 times
- NFC receiving mobile phone distance: about 0-20mm (depending on the signal strength of the reading and writing device)
- Power supply mode: non-contact data transmission and power supply
The authors concluded that RTLS can be a useful adjunct for workflow analysis, process and quality improvement, and patient safety. They also noted that observational designs were most common and that relatively few studies used quantitative techniques to analyze RTLS data effectively. The findings support potential and practical utility, but the mix of methods does not yield a reliable global estimate of how much RTLS reduces harm.
A separate three-year qualitative study of 23 U.S. hospitals, based on 80 semi-structured interviews, found asset tracking to be the strongest use in the contexts studied and emphasized whole-hospital deployment and centralized control. Published in 2012, it offers historical implementation experience rather than a current ranking of systems or a universal prescription. The study is available through PubMed Central.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWhat hospitals should assess before deployment
RTLS performance depends on more than tags. NHS England’s Mid Cheshire case highlights planning and operational conditions that can determine whether location data is useful:
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- Tag uses IMPINJ U8 chip with an operating frequency of 860~960 MHz. Ultra high frequency design effectively prevents the interference of metal on RF signals.
- Compliant with ISO 18000-6C and EPC CLASS1 GEN2 standards, ensuring compatibility with modern RFID readers for reliable data transfer.
- Tag shell is aluminum foil and PET material, waterproof and wear resistant, ideal for long term use.
- Adhesive backing design can be attached to the device. The effective reading radius is 12 m.
- Widely used in electronic shelves, auto parts tracking, IT asset management, inventory counting, etc.
- Maps and zones: Confirm floor plans and location zones are current so the system’s labels match the real environment.
- Wireless coverage: Survey coverage across the intended areas, including spaces where equipment is stored or used.
- Fit with workflows: Make it straightforward for staff to use location information and act on alerts; involve frontline teams in planning.
- Integration: Check how location data will connect with relevant asset, maintenance, or clinical systems.
- Governance and privacy: Decide what is tracked, who can see the data, and how it will be used. Mid Cheshire initially avoided person tracking because its information-governance requirements were complex.
- Ongoing support: Plan for tag and infrastructure maintenance, operational ownership, and expansion as needs change.
These considerations matter especially when moving from tracking assets to tracking people. The two uses raise different workflow and governance questions, and an asset-tracking result does not demonstrate the effectiveness or acceptability of person tracking.
How to judge an RTLS safety claim
When reviewing a proposed system or a reported result, match the evidence to the claim. Ask whether the result concerns a particular device type, ward, incident category, or period; whether it was measured independently or reported by a vendor; and whether the study design supports a causal conclusion. Also check whether the system’s coverage and operating routines resemble the setting where it will be used.
The available sources document a local equipment-tracking outcome, a heterogeneous research literature, and vendor-described applications. They do not establish a representative worldwide reduction in patient harm. RTLS is best understood as infrastructure that can improve visibility and support safety processes—not as a safety outcome on its own. The systematic review is available at PubMed Central.
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