Under the new contract, LaserBand is the only approved provider of laser-printed wristbands. The bands feature patient information, barcodes and even patient photos, to ensure proper patient identification and reduce medical errors.

LaserBand's NHS award comes in response to a study published by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) in May 2007. It revealed that 72% of more than 24,000 annual errors studied in the UK resulted from instances where patients did not wear wristbands.

Tony Rich, head of information management and technology for the Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh NHS Trust, which tested the LaserBand wristbands against competing products, said: "A simple patient identification wristband can be the difference between the wrong treatment being administered and the right one."