Digitally transforming controlled drug management

at a Glance

Across four hospital sites, the programme delivered measurable improvements in clinical time, compliance and controlled drug administration, alongside a rapid transition to digital working.

77,000+

Clinical hours

returned annually for patient care

98%

Compliance rate

– up from 67%

80%

Faster CD Administration

than previously

11 weeks

Time to go live

across 4 hospital sites

100%

Digital ordering process

from go-live across all sites

The journey

What began as a simple question – why are Controlled Drug registers still paper-based? – became a catalyst for transformation at UHB.

For years, complex processes, high administrative burden, and limited visibility of risk persisted across clinical areas. Through clinical leadership and co-design, a fully digital, closed-loop system was implemented and deployed across four hospital sites in just 11 weeks.

What was Deployed

Alfa CD was implemented across all four UHB sites – a fully digital, closed-loop controlled drug management system replacing paper registers, ordering books and manual workflows end to end.

Barcode scanning

Prevents wrong-drug selection at the point of dispensing by verifying the correct medicine before it is given, supporting safer handling and Scan4Safety initiatives.

Real-time alerts

Discrepancies are detected instantly at any stage of medicine handling from usage, receipt or stock check – not surfacing days later in a manual reconciliation cycle.

Live dashboard

Provides organisation-wide visibility of CD status across all four sites, giving pharmacy and governance teams a current view of activity, stock and exceptions.

Electronic signing

Replaces paper-based witness and sign-off processes with digital records, ensuring each transaction is attributed, timestamped and tamper-proof within the system.

Access integration

Correlates physical cabinet-access events with digital CD transaction records, showing who opened the cabinet, when, and whether assigned-key access was granted.

How It Was Done

The programme was clinically-led and co-designed with frontline teams. Implementation ran across all four UHB hospital sites in 11 weeks, a deployment pace of up to 4 wards per day that reflects both the readiness of the platform and the commitment of UHB’s clinical and pharmacy leadership.

The approach, switching from paper to digital from the start, meant the benefits were immediate and consistent across all sites from go-live.

The RESULTS

Safer care – Real-time visibility – Stronger governance

Patient Safety

Fewer medication errors – barcode verification catches issues before they reach the patient.
Discrepancies identified immediately – issues surface at the moment they arise.

Efficiency

77,000+ hours returned to patient care annually – clinical staff time freed from paper administration.
Administration 80% faster – digital workflows replace manual processes end to end.

Governance

Compliance improved from 67% to 98% – a structural improvement, not a one-off push.
Continuous audit in place – the audit trail is always complete and in inspection format.

Alfa CD has fundamentally changed how we manage controlled drugs across UHB. It has improved safety, strengthened governance and, most importantly, returned valuable clinical time back to patient care.