The NHS and Blockchain

While most people have heard of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, not many people know about or understand blockchain – the technology which underpins them.

Blockchain works through a distributed ledger which records transactions. However, instead of the ledger being held centrally (at a bank for example) it is held on multiple servers under a consensus mechanism. Whenever a new transaction is made a new packet of data is created – called a “block” – and is added to the ledger, with a unique hash code which contains information about all the previous blocks in the chain.

All this happens simultaneously wherever the data is stored and is almost impossible to alter as it would require attacking all data sites at the same time.

Blockchain technology has far more potential than financial transactions however and can be used to log each stage of a product’s journey through a supply chain and record vital data – such as temperature levels – in an immutable log which can be viewed by all stakeholders.

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has become one of the earliest adopters of blockchain technology applied in this fashion. Two hospitals in Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon have deployed the tech to monitor the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. Providing a transparent, reliable, and tamper-proof system which makes sure, not only do these temperature sensitive vaccines get where they need to be in good order, but that any errors in the supply chain are traceable and accountable.