Disruptive innovation provides NHS Trusts faster access to continuous IV monitoring to reduce avoidable extravasation harm
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. and LONDON, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ivWatch, the IV safety company, today announced that its continuous IV site monitoring system has been selected for inclusion in the NHS Supply Chain Innovation Products pathway. While inclusion in national procurement pathways can take years, ivWatch progressed through the Innovation Products review process on an expedited basis, enabling NHS organisations across the United Kingdom to access its advanced technology through a compliant and streamlined procurement route.
The Innovation Products Pathway makes it easier for NHS Trusts to adopt clinically proven technologies that solve persistent patient safety problems. With ivWatch now approved on this pathway, NHS Trusts have a ready-to-implement solution to proactively address IV infiltration and extravasation – complications that result in preventable harm, claims exposure, and treatment delays. Trusts evaluating strategies to reduce IV-related harm no longer need to navigate procurement barriers to implement continuous monitoring. This sole award of ivWatch to the NHSSC framework, marks a key milestone in a national strategic initiative to accelerate access to peripheral IV site monitoring technology for safer care across NHS England.
ivWatch provides continuous, non-invasive monitoring of tissue adjacent to a peripheral IV insertion site. Using patented optical sensing and a predictive algorithm, the system is designed to detect the earliest signs of IV infiltration and extravasation – complications where IV fluids leak into surrounding tissue and can lead to pain, tissue damage, delayed treatment, and, in severe cases, long-term harm. Early detection helps clinicians intervene sooner, reducing the risk of injury, improving outcomes, and lowering avoidable costs to the hospital.
Maya Aquino-Guerrero, Patient Safety Champion at NHS Supply Chain and NIVAS Board Member, said, “In my ongoing efforts to elevate patient safety standards across the NHS, I’ve seen firsthand how early detection technologies like ivWatch can transform IV care. Extravasation injuries are not only painful, but often avoidable with timely intervention. ivWatch’s ability to provide continuous, real-time monitoring empowers clinicians to act quickly, preventing harm and reducing costly complications. This technology embodies the kind of innovation we need to protect patients and ensure the best use of NHS resources.”
Aquino-Guerrero recently presented this approach at the World Congress on Vascular Access (WoCoVA), where she shared a poster on global platform, an NHS initiative to accelerate access to continuous peripheral IV site monitoring technology across England. The work highlights how earlier detection can reduce the severity of injuries, take pressure off clinical staff, and deliver systemwide cost savings.
The poster outlines a structured pathway from pilot implementation to broader scale adoption, with initial expansion anticipated over an 18‑month period.1
Transforming patient safety across the NHS
Peripheral IV therapy ranks among the most common procedures in NHS hospitals, yet infiltration and extravasation remain significantly under-recognised contributors to patient harm. Conventional visual and manual assessments frequently miss early tissue changes, particularly when IV sites are obscured or patients cannot communicate pain, leading to adverse events.
Clinical evaluations referenced by NHS Supply Chain indicate that continuous monitoring technologies such as ivWatch can play an important role in reducing the severity of IV-related harm, improving workflow efficiency, and supporting safer delivery of high-risk infusions across adult and paediatric populations.
Clinical leadership driving adoption
Central to ivWatch’s success in the NHS has been Andrew Barton, Nurse Consultant in IV Therapy and Vascular Access at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust and Chairman of the National Infusion and Vascular Access Society (NIVAS), who has championed the clinical trial and implementation of ivWatch technology in UK clinical settings. In the study he oversaw, the ivWatch system detected infiltration and extravasation events earlier than relying on intermittent visual observation alone, and detection occurred in 100% of IV infiltration events before a clinician could visually detect the event.
Under Barton’s leadership, ivWatch has been deployed for over two years within NHS units with strong results of no IV extravasation injuries, strengthening clinical confidence in the delivery of IV therapy safety. His work was recently recognised with the HSJ Patient Safety Pilot Program of the Year award, reflecting both the clinical effectiveness of the technology and Barton’s leadership in advancing patient safety throughout the NHS. Barton is also the creator of the NIVAS Extravasation Toolkit, which is preventing devastating severe IV injuries in the UK and around the globe.
“Spearheading the ivWatch initiative has been a game-changer for our IV therapy practice,” said Barton. “We have witnessed a remarkable reduction in extravasation incidents, improving patient safety and staff confidence. The expeditious process of the NHS Supply Chain Innovation Products pathway underscores the urgency and tangible impact of ivWatch. This technology not only safeguards our patients, but also supports our commitment to innovation and excellence in care.”
A pathway to broader adoption through NHS supply chain
With its addition to the Innovation Products portfolio, ivWatch monitors, sensors, and clinical support materials are now accessible to NHS organisations – from acute Trusts to specialty units – through NHS Supply Chain’s established procurement infrastructure. This gives NHS Trusts a direct route to adopt innovative technology to address longstanding IV safety challenges across multiple pathways including systemic anti-cancer therapy, non-chemotherapy infusions such as iron and antibiotics, acute and emergency care, critical care, paediatrics, and vascular access services.
ivWatch will continue to work with NHS clinicians and stakeholders to support ongoing education, evidence generation, and implementation, ensuring that teams adopting the technology can maximize patient safety and quality benefits.
About ivWatch
ivWatch is changing IV safety. IV insertion is the most common hospital procedure, yet up to 50% fail, often with severe consequences ranging from dosing errors, scarring, skin staining, nerve damage, amputation, and even death. Founded in 2010 and holding nearly 70 patents, ivWatch has developed a first-of-its-kind FDA-cleared and MDR CE marked Class II medical device that continuously monitors peripheral IVs to aid in the early detection of infiltration and extravasation events. To learn more, visit www.ivwatch.com.
About NHS Supply Chain
NHS Supply Chain manages the sourcing, delivery and supply of healthcare products, services and food for NHS trusts and healthcare organizations across England and Wales.
Their role is to source, deliver and supply healthcare products, services and food for NHS trusts and healthcare organizations across England and Wales. By working in collaboration with the healthcare system and suppliers, they help the NHS to put patients first.
NHS Supply Chain is a part of the NHS and delivers cost-efficient, resilient, clinically assured products that are responsive to frontline needs. They focus on the end-to-end patient pathway which supports the healthcare system to:
- Reduce treatment times
- Decrease patient length of stay
- Enable more care in community settings
- Improve clinical outcomes.
References:
1. https://www.ivwatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Transforming-patient-safety-a-strategic-initiative-on-accelerating-national-access-to-peripheral-iv-site-monitoring-technology-for-safer-care-across-NHS-EnglandMI-0000012.pdf
