Security solutions are key in Healthcare as you are caring for vulnerable people. When you install the right security solution, it goes a long way to help ensure the feeling of safety because with the right features, you can identify incidents as they are happening, send notification and restrict access to authorised people whilst protecting the site as a whole and deterring any opportunists.
A good security system should:
Notify you of any breaches – Record evidence of unsolicited activities – Allow quick access to footage – Restrict access to authorised persons
Your security needs will depend on various factors such as assets and size of your site so please get in touch for a free site security audit.
Discover the best Security Solutions for your Hospital, Doctor Surgery or Dental Practice
CCTV in Healthcare
CCTV is key in Healthcare, particularly Hospitals. Hospitals tend to be vast sites and obviously have a huge number of patients, staff and visitors to ensure are kept safe. CCTV goes a long way to help ensure the feeling of safety because with the right features, CCTV can identify incidents as they are happening and send notifications to security staff.
CCTV systems for Hospitals, Dental Practices and Doctor Surgeries
You’ll want an IP CCTV system as it converts video footage into data and transmitted to either a central PC held within the office or to any location of your choosing and it makes it easier to locate and retrieve the right footage. The IP CCTV systems we install all have the following;
- Mobile app – View your CCTV footage live or in playback mode for all of your sites, remotely.
- Analytics / Notifications – You will be able to analyse things such as how many visitors you have to your site. This is useful if you have a car park where your CCTV activates a notification if a car leaves after the allocated 3-hour limit, so they are issued a car parking ticket.
- Smart Search – You are able to “draw a line” around a certain area and watch the activity for that specific area. It enables quick searching for any incidents such any health and safety issues, break-ins or criminal damage. For instance, if you have a break-in and you identify the entry point, you can then select the area on the camera where the door/window is, select a time-frame and it will highlight ‘events’ which will show you when that entry point was accessed. You will have the evidence needed and it takes roughly 15 minutes.
You will also need to consider the type of cameras you'll need:
- Fisheye Cameras can eliminate blind spots with their 180-degree and 360-degree surround view. They can also detect events across an entire area, focus and record those events whilst maintaining a wider visual.
- Dome Cameras are harder to spot and are ideal for covert viewing. They can be used for indoor and outdoor. They tend to be known as “Vandal-proof,” because of their durable casing, they can withstand quite vigorous of activities.
- Bullet cameras tend to be a lot more noticeable because of their aesthetics. Typically, they are one of the better options for outside monitoring especially with their longer-range capabilities.
CCTV features
These are the most useful CCTV features for Hospitals, Dental Practices and Doctor Surgeries:
- Panoramic view (no blind spots)
- Tamper detection
- Weather protection
- Night-vision
- Intrusion detection
- Auto-tracking
- Infra-red
- Line crossing (if someone intrudes on a boundary such as a fence)
- Unattended baggage detection
- Object removal detection
- Facial detection
- Self-learning video analytics
Intruder Alarms in Healthcare
Your healthcare organisation needs an Intruder Alarm because you hold important records and have expensive equipment on site. You need to be able to prevent unauthorised entry as much as you are able.
An intruder alarm is a natural deterrent as most opportunists go for properties with less security
There are three main types of intruder alarms; Bells only, Dialler and Smart.
Best Intruder Alarms for Hospitals, Dental Practices and Doctor Surgeries
Due to the nature of healthcare organisations like hospitals, dental practices and doctor surgeries (sensitive information and medical supplies) we recommend a Dialler Intruder Alarm or a Smart Intruder alarm. It promotes quicker responses and you can assign an out-of-hours contact with both. This could be a keyholder, police or security team.
Dialler Intruder Alarm when activated will automatically call a pre-specified phone number. The Smart Intruder Alarm is like the Dialler intruder alarm, it will contact the specified contacts via an app.
Ensure your intruder alarm has the following features:
- Motion detectors – detect movement within the area it can monitor
- Shock sensors – for any entry via windows
- Alarm – which alerts through sound and lights
- Panic buttons – if you are within the building and notice a break-in you can act on it
- App – this is ideal for keyholders and managers who want to keep an eye on the site, remotely.
Access Control in Hospitals, Dental Practices and Doctor Surgeries
Hospitals, Doctor Surgeries and Dental Practices have medical supplies, equipment, staff and patients which need protecting. Access Control ensures only authorised people have access.
Access Control systems for Hospitals
Pin Code
The device is programmed with a PIN code which your staff memorise and it will only allow them to areas where they are permitted entry. It can be programmed so each individual has their own PIN code rather than a universal code.
It’s more cost-effective than the pass or fob but it does rely on people’s memory and trust that they not share the code.
Access Pass or Fob
Similar to the PIN Code access control, except the device is programmed to accept a pass or fob. The pass can be standardised across the whole hospital so that everyone’s looks the same. Access passes are subject to wear and tear, and can be cloned, lost, stolen or shared.
Intercom
The video intercom is used at entrances to hospital wards so that they can visually and verbally check the visitor’s identity.
Fingerprint
Fingerprints are truly unique as no two fingerprints are the same. A fingerprint scanner is a small device with a finger shaped indent where you place your finger to be scanned before being permitted entry.
They are used in hospitals where highly flammable and valuable medicines are stored.
Eye Retina
You can’t replicate a retina as the blood vessels at the back of the eye are unique and do not change. It can take longer than the other forms of access control to get a read. These types of access control are used more in labs that require a higher level of security.
Eye Iris
It is difficult to replicate an iris. Likewise, it can be difficult to record the scan initially which is worth noting if you have several people to scan. Again, these types of access control are used more in labs that require a higher level of security.
Access Control systems for Dental Practices and Doctor Surgeries
Both Dental Practices and Doctor surgeries tend to use PIN Code, Pass/Fob access control and a Video Intercom to protect their business.
Fire Alarms and Detection in Healthcare
Fire alarm regulations state that all business premises must have ‘an appropriate fire detection system’. Essentially, you need a detection system in place that allows everyone to be warned so they can quickly and safely exit the building.
Most Healthcare organisations will need fire alarms in place purely based on the fact that you store high-risk substances and are generally larger than a small, single-storey site.
Which Fire Alarm is best for a Hospital, Dental Practice or Doctor Surgery?
UK Fire Alarm regulations don’t specify the exact type of fire alarm you should have, it should just be ‘appropriate’ for your healthcare organisation. There are three main types of fire alarms:
- Conventional Fire Alarms work on zones, so it divides your business area into different areas. When a fire happens, the fire alarm panel will show you the zone but not the exact location.
- Addressable Fire Alarm tells you exactly where the fire is, whether there is smoke, heat or even if there is a fault. Each device has its own unique electronic address which then displays on the fire alarm panel. These fire alarms can be integrated to activate a selection of fire safety features such as shutting down equipment or deactivating elevators.
- Wireless Fire Alarms is like the addressable fire alarm system, just without the wires. Wireless Fire Alarms are quicker to install and provide just as much protection as wired fire alarm systems.
A Dental Practice and Doctor Surgery tend to be smaller sites so we would generally advise a conventional or addressable fire alarm.
A Hospital would need an addressable fire alarm so that each device can be addressed with a location so you can go straight to the area where there is an issue. A wireless fire alarm is a suitable option for a hospital, too but it’s mainly if you don’t want a lot of cabling used.
Security Barriers in Healthcare
There is no hard and fast rule to security barriers for the healthcare industry as it tends to depend on the size of the site and the entrance points. Hospitals tend to be larger sites so need more security measures than smaller sites.
Below are the typical security barriers for hospitals, dental practices and doctor surgeries.
Security Barriers for Hospitals
Drop Arm Barrier
A Drop arm barrier is typically found at entrances to hospitals, typically at the car park entrances and usually integrated with access control and intercom features. The barrier arm is down until access is granted and then it is automatically raised.
Traffic Control Spikes
Traffic spikes control traffic by only allowing entrance via one direction. Should someone drive the wrong way across the traffic spikes, the spikes will pierce and deflate the tyres. Traffic spikes are for direction control and anti-theft control, rather than final denial access.
In Hospitals, these are mainly used in the car park areas or delivery areas.
Palisade Fencing
Palisade fencing protects the boundaries of your hospital site whilst maintaining a view of whether access is being attempted. Hospital sites aren’t always a regular shaped area and with palisade fencing it doesn’t matter if it’s regular in shape or not.
Palisade fencing acts naturally as a deterrent because of the height, lack of footholds to climb and the points at the top. It is easy to maintain and extremely durable; long life span and can be protected from rusting.
Palisade fencing can also be used in conjunction with other technology such as an intruder alarm and line beam detection technology.
Bollards
Bollards are useful for traffic management, pedestrian safety and preventing accidental and intentional damage to a building.
On Hospital sites they are mainly useful throughout the site to keep visitors safe but particularly, at entrances to departments such as A&E.
Security Barriers for Dental Practices and Doctor Surgeries
Both Dental Practices and Doctor surgeries tend to use a drop arm barrier and pedestrian gates as a security barrier measure.