Collaborating for safer, smarter and more sustainable medicines pathways
Medicines are central to patient care, cost the NHS close to £20bn a year and affect nearly every patient, but their prescribing and dispensing remains fragmented, inefficient and error prone. Increasingly, the most effective healthcare relies on the rapid adoption of new technologies and A4BC plays a key role by accelerating progress in connected medicines management.
By bringing together the NHS, industry and policy leaders from across the UK, A4BC is driving and shaping this transformation by co-developing solutions, aligning standards and sharing best practice.
Modernising medicines management is outlined as a priority in the NHS 10-Year Plan, with a focus on technologies such as pharmacy automation. The Automated for Better Care (A4BC) programme is helping turn ambition into action, creating a connected medication management pathway that is:
Smarter for
patients
Reducing medication errors and improving patient outcomes
Smarter for health and
care providers
Improving frontline productivity and freeing up “time to care”
Better for
business suppliers
Improving the implementation and end user experience of systems
Sustainable for
the NHS
Cutting medicines waste, saving money, and improving efficiency
A new direction for 2026
The multi-stakeholder collaboration was formalised in early 2024 with the establishment of Automating for Better Care (A4BC) as a forum, with the aim to inform the appropriate use and accelerate the adoption of Connected Medication Management (CMM) automated systems. In February, PRSB hosted the first forum of 2026, marking a new phase for the programme, now independently led and delivered by PRSB in partnership with industry and the NHS. Increasingly, the most effective healthcare relies on the rapid adoption of new technologies and A4BC plays a key role by accelerating progress in connected medicines management.
The work of A4BC will underpin the whole medicines supply chain, from manufacturer to patient outcome, and the integrity of the data associated with it. Initially the forum is starting with core projects that support hospital infrastructure but intends to expand beyond as more sponsors come on board.
Some of the potential benefits are widely known, such as improved patient safety through e-prescribing and closed loop medicines administration. But A4BC will go further to expose and underpin some of the more hidden benefits like improved productivity, help to measure value and outcomes from medicines, and improved procurement and stock management.
The A4BC programme will explore the entire connected medication management pathway, including:
Supply chain and dispensing
Streamlining logistics, reducing shortages, and improving stock control
Electronic prescribing
Ensuring accuracy, interoperability, and clinical decision support throughout secondary care
Formulary mapping and catalogue standardisation
Ensuring consistent and best practice prescribing across all care settings
Medicines reconciliation and administration
Supporting safe delivery of medicines at the point of care, reducing adverse reactions and allergies
The advocacy programme
The A4BC advocacy programme is guided by a Steering Committee and is focused on raising the profile of connected medication management with government, national bodies and across the NHS. The programme positions A4BC as the recognised go-to source of expertise on CMM, supporting alignment between policy intent, standards development and implementation.
Building on A4BC’s existing reputation, the advocacy work uses PRSB’s established channels and is amplified through member and partner networks to ensure consistent messaging, visibility and influence at national and system level.
The advocacy programme is also raising awareness of critical issues affecting connected medicines management such as medicines barcoding. Barcoding has played a significant role in improving patient safety and it underpins the increasing digitisation and automation of medicines supply chains from manufacturer to patient outcomes.
But both the progress made to date and the government’s future ambitions are being undermined by a significant decrease in 2D barcodes on UK medicines. This is already having significant consequences for medicines suppliers, pharmacies and hospitals affecting patient safety, operational efficiency and interoperability. A4BC is carrying out advocacy work to raise awareness of this issue and make the case for mandatory 2D barcodes.
Would you like to get involved in making the case for Connected Medication Management? Can the A4BC Forum help build the evidence base for your work on CMM? If so, contact the team to tell us more.
2026 projects
The 2026 programme features industry funded working groups that collaborate in priority areas to co-develop solutions, align standards and share best practice.
Data and interoperability
The group will test and pilot standardised approaches to interoperability between stock control systems, ePMA and ward or pharmacy automation, in collaboration with NHS England and in support of national objectives.
This work will deliver implementation support, including recommendations for user acceptance testing, issue resolution, conformity assessment approaches, reference implementations, tooling and real-world case studies demonstrating impact.
Medicines catalogue standardisation
The A4BC Accelerator programme of work will contribute to NHSE’s Single National Formulary Programme, and the overall aim is to enable the Single National Formulary content made available to Trusts to be shared to the necessary clinical and pharmacy systems, digital cabinets and robots.
Forum members
Lord Carter of Coles
Forum co-chair
Lord Carter of Coles is a British life peer and experienced businessman who brings expertise in healthcare, public service, and government efficiency to guide discussions and decisions. He was a member of the House of Lords Public Affairs Committee until January 2026 and was involved in the recent Medicines Security report. He advises government on many issues, including health.
Dr Keith Ridge, CBE
Forum co-chair
Dr Keith Ridge CBE served as Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England until 2022.
As a government advisor, he plays a key role in developing clinical pharmacy practice and improving NHS medicines safety.
Health and care and professional bodies
- Royal College of Physicians
- Royal College of General Practitioners
- NHS England and NHS Wales
- NHS Trusts
- Future Nurse
- Healthcare Financial Management Association
- GS1
- TechUK
Health and care system suppliers
- Becton Dickinson (Primary funder)
There are opportunities for other suppliers to contribute to our forum meetings. Please contact the A4BC team to find out how your organisation can contribute.
Meetings
May 2026
Agenda to follow
February 2026
View minutes
May 2025
View minutes
January 2025
View minutes
September 2024
View minutesJuly 2024
View minutesApril 2024
View minutesSponsorship opportunities
To future proof A4BC we are moving to a multi-supplier governance and funding model. By sponsoring the Automating for Better Care (A4BC) programme, you’ll be at the forefront of shaping a UK wide transformation in how medicines are prescribed, dispensed, and monitored.
Sponsorship offers visibility as a leader in innovation, direct engagement with NHS partners, and the chance to co-develop solutions that improve patient safety, reduce waste, and deliver measurable savings for the health system.
Join us in shaping a future where medicines management is connected, consistent, and patient-centred. Together, we can build a pathway that delivers better outcomes, stronger NHS efficiency, and lasting value for society.
Sponsorship tiers
Premium membership
Strategic influence across the programme shaping the work and questions that are being addressed.
Working Group Membership
If your organisation would like to contribute please contact the team!
Previous achievements
In 2023, Becton Dickinson (BD), UK&I and senior NHS pharmacy and digital leaders developed a comprehensive policy guidance on “Optimising medication management technology for patients, taxpayers, and the UK healthcare system” as a basis for expert engagement with the Pharmacy Inquiry, launched that year.
Since its inception, the forum has analysed the opportunities for CMM adoption within the NHS as well as the barriers to implementation and has become the go-to expert voice in policy dialogue, contributing notably to the NHS 10-year plan in development, the New Hospitals Programme, the Pharmacy Inquiry and the National Cancer Plan for England
Importantly, A4BC also identified two NHS Trusts (Plymouth and Liverpool) with the potential to become “exemplar sites” for CMM implementation at scale and partake in an NHS specific study looking at implementation of CMM technology.
Resources
The new Benefits Framework for Medicines Interoperability is a tool developed by System C and BD for the A4BC Forum. It helps NHS teams articulate value, secure investment and build the case for change. Explore the tool and join the movement to make interoperability a clinical and strategic reality.
Connected Medication Management, a technology-driven approach to automate, streamline and digitalise all steps of the medication management process, from prescription to administration. The connected medication management guidance document summarises the issues related to managing medication, the case for change and a call for action.
The A4BC submitted written evidence and supported a visit from the Health and Social care
committee (HSCC) to The Cleveland Clinic (CCL) in January 2024.
