Automating 4 Better Care (A4BC)

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Automating for Better Care

Collaborating for safer, smarter and more sustainable medicines pathways
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Full automation will deliver benefits for patient safety, efficiency, and cost. 
Current projects
Advocacy
A4BC Projects
Forum members
Meetings
Sponsorship opportunities

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.

Email: a4bc@theprsb.org

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.  

Get involved

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.

Get involved

Forum members

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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.

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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.

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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
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Health and care system suppliers
  • Becton Dickinson (Primary funder)
  • System C
  • Epic
  • Nervecentre
  • InterSystems
  • Kinetic-ID

 

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

The A4BC forum meets four times a year, bringing members together to discuss key topics, share updates, and plan future activity.

Here, you will find details of upcomings meetings, including dates and agendas, as well as records of previous meetings with minutes and supporting documents. 

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27 May 2026
View minutes
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February 2026
View minutes
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May 2025
View minutes
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January 2025
View minutes
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September 2024
View minutes
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July 2024
View minutes
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April 2024
View minutes

Sponsorship 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
Involvement in the working groups contributing to development of the best practice and solutions.

If your organisation would like to contribute please contact the team!

Email: a4bc@theprsb.org
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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.

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.

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Currently sponsored by:

Sponsorship opportunities available:
If your organisation would like to contribute, please contact the A4BC team.

Email: a4bc@theprsb.org

Contact us

Be part of the 2026 programme – get involved, collaborate, or sponsor by reaching out to the A4BC team today.


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Better records for better care

Personalised care and support planning for people with severe mental illness

A review of a sample of current care plans, and the way they have been developed, may be helpful in identifying the priorities for this improvement. The PRSB Implementation Guide provides more detailed explanations about each element of the plan, including advice on how the planning process might be best conducted.
These questions might form a checklist for current plans to be compared with. 

1. Does the plan include an About Me section in which the service user, in their own words, can indicate the information they want to be available about their lives, their values, their interests, and priorities, available for all those who may care for them?
2. Is the approach to developing a care plan patient centred and engaging, allowing plans to be based on patient priorities goals, and aspirations, along with the actions they plan to take and the support that they will receive?
3. Is there space for a “formulation” to be recorded in which the person receiving care and the professionals who provide it, share and record the personal meaning and the origins of the person’s difficulties?
4. Are relevant procedures and therapies recorded?
5. Where relevant, are one or more contingency plans included for anticipatable disruptions, exacerbations, or deterioration, and do they include advice on what to do and points of contact for those called upon to respond?
6. Where relevant are additional supporting plans incorporated, (an example being an “educational and health plan” for someone with a neurodevelopment disorder)
7. Is a version of the plan available to a service user (if they wish to have it) in a form and format that they can understand and find to be of value?
8. How is a version of the plan available to the GP and other key parts of the health and care system?

Work conducted by PRSB and partners recently has looked specifically at the suitability of this approach to the development and documentation of care and support plans for people with Severe Mental Illness. This resulted in an updated version of the standard (v1.4), for use by any service and for any group of service users, but with some modifications to ensure that it meets the needs of this community. The approach to a patient centred process of identifying goals, hopes, and values, and the support needed to achieve them, is fully compatible with and can be conducted using, specific tools in use in mental health, such as DIALOG, DIALOG+, and ReQoL, for example. 

Where analysis indicates the need for improvement in the content and process of personalised care and support planning for patients with Severe Mental Illness, specific improvement projects should be instituted to co-design with service users and their representatives, and the relevant staff groups, new approaches, and documentation that would be of value in delivering improvement. The toolkit includes a range of existing resources that could be used to engage in this improvement work, including signposting to relevant existing approaches informed by patient experience-based design.

Moving to a single holistic plan

A review of a sample of current care plans, and the way they have been developed, may be helpful in identifying the priorities for this improvement. The PRSB Implementation Guide provides A key development, consistent with national policy on support for Personalised Care across all health and care sectors, is the move towards an individual with complex needs having a single, integrated, care plan, rather than a series of plans developed by different parts of the health and social care system in isolation of one another. For a patient with severe mental illness, the related concerns and challenges might form a very prominent part of such an integrated plan; many will also have concurrent health challenges and needs. The intention is that the relevant services work together to plan and wrap support around the patient and their family in an integrated way, rather than as a series of sequential or disconnected encounters in which the service user or their friends and family have to adopt the role of the integrator.

A starting point would be to agree priority groups of service users who may already have more than one care plan because they need care from more than one part of the system of health and social care. This could be initiated by looking at service users registered with some sentinel practices or PCNs. Alternatively, the approach might focus initially on people with defined co-morbidity or risk that entails collaborative care with agencies beyond specialist mental health services.

The focus here is on the process of care planning and agreement on what should be shared, rather than solely on the technology used;

1. What is the process to agree which professional will initiate care planning and act as the “lead point of contact” for the service user?
2. Will initial plans be agreed with the service user in joint consultations or sequentially? Where and how will they be conducted?
3. What will be the process to agree the elements of the plans which should be available to professionals and potential authorised users beyond the immediate care teams, (A&E services, Ambulance Services, Social services, etc.) with the service user’s consent?
4. How will elements of the plan be updated following consultations in a way which is proportionate, to allow contact and progress notes to be maintained by the service conducting the consultation, whilst avoiding unnecessary work for partners in care if there is no significant change to the personalised care and support plan?
5. What are the implications for workload, logistics, and administration arising out of these decisions?

The answers to these questions and others will best be elicited through focused joint working, grounded in real, or at least realistic examples. This will entail process mapping, and co-design with a range of professionals, service users, and families. Resources from the toolkit and outputs from the Simulation element of this project will be valuable. Some organisations would adopt an approach such as a Rapid Process Improvement Workshop, planned over several weeks and conducted over a number of sequential days, to develop prototype ways of working that could be tested in the field.