Petition · Department of Health and Social Care
Make accurate medicine barcodes (GTIN) mandatory to protect patient safety
Closed
1,203 signatures
What the petition asks
Errors in medicine barcodes (GTIN) mean pharmacists and hospitals bypass safety systems and rely on manual checks. We believe this increases risks for patients and wastes NHS time and money. Making accurate barcode data mandatory would protect patients, reduce errors and save millions.
Barcode (GTIN) data should be included in licence submissions to the MHRA. This would allow healthcare professionals to detect any GTIN errors, which must then be treated as manufacturer defects requiring reporting and correction. Accurate barcode data should be a regulatory requirement, not a voluntary option. We believe this will protect patients, cut NHS costs and build trust in the digital medicines supply chain.
Timeline
| 1 Oct 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 1 Apr 2026 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
1,203
Status
Closed
Department
Department of Health and Social Care
Opened
1 Oct 2025
Closed
1 Apr 2026
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 1 Aug 2026.