Hospital safety tips
Below you can find the top SECOM tips for Hospitals.
Hospitals, by their nature, have to be open, accessible, receptive - a safe environment. Unfortunately, this also makes them an ‘open’ invitation for crime and troublemakers. Hospitals are also stressful places, where relatives or visitors may get emotive at a moment’s notice.
Hospital safety check list
The challenge is to provide a secure location for staff and patients, day and night, without becoming a fortress. SECOM works in partnership with the health sector to provide expert advice on improving security, reducing crime, avoiding confrontation and ultimately helping to ensure that hospitals are the safe place they should be. With this in mind, we’ve produced a quick reference checklist to help protect your staff and patients.
- Encourage vigilance amongst staff. Reinforce the 'challenge culture' across the hospital. Challenge anyone suspicious or not wearing an ID badge in staff-only areas with "How may I help you?".
- Adopt effective asset control systems. Security mark all equipment to allow the police to identify and return stolen property. Warning labels that equipment is security marked also act as a deterrent.
- Review security as a whole rather than adopting piecemeal measures as and when needs demand or budget allows. An effective hospital security plan must have its roots in a thorough security analysis.
- For staff security, consider personal alarm systems, preferably linked to two-way communication with a continuously manned control centre.
- Consider an anonymous 0800 number for reporting crimes and slips in security.
- Beware of the fortress mentality - get a balance between visible measures and an open environment.
- Recognise the different security demands of specific areas, such as emergency/trauma, pharmacy/drug storage, infant care, psychiatric care etc.
- Designate a member of staff as Hospital Security Co-ordinator.
- Most crime is opportunistic; installing visible security measures from well-lit car parking to clear signage and evident CCTV all help to deter unsuitable behaviour.
- REMEMBER…you can't cut corners with security. Employ only an NSI approved company to install your security measures.
