SECURITY SYSTEMS
Manage Care Home Safety and
Security with Access Control
» OFTEN SPREAD OVER LARGE
premises, housing expensive equipment
and with a high number of visitors
accessing the site every day, care homes
face numerous threats. Care home safety
and security is a big issue, and ensuring
the safety of patients, staff, visitors and
assets is a top priority but also a challenge,
so by installing access control systems
workers are able to easily manage areas
around a building.
Access control systems can also
carry out functions such as time and
attendance, staffing level management
and parking management.
“Access control systems are increasingly
being used to enhance safety and security
in residential care homes by restricting and
monitoring the movement of staff, residents
and visitors without impacting on the
residents’ everyday lives,” say access control
specialists Nortech. “Installing an effective
access control system not only provides a
flexible form of security but also one that is
bespoke to each individual site.”
What is access control?
Access control allows staff to manage,
control, monitor and restrict the
movement of people or vehicles in, out
and around an individual site. Access
control can be anything from hard copy
visitor books through to identity cards for
doors, gates and vehicle barriers.
Access control systems can be easily
installed to ensure that only authorised
persons can access specific areas. In more
sophisticated facilities, systems can also
be used to restrict access to areas that
need to be kept separate for the safety of
other patients, such as isolation rooms.
Why Use access control
in care homes?
Care homes are known to be targets for
criminals because they hold valuable goods
such as computers and IT equipment
and sensitive patient data as well as the
personal possessions of staff, visitors and
patients. To combat this and deter thieves,
a growing number of premises are now
installing access control systems to offer
instant, flexible protection.
One system Nortech can offer is a
hands-free access control solution
which is both secure and user-friendly.
This Nortech system uses Nedap’s
uPASS access readers which offer both
convenience and security.
Each member of staff is issued with a long-
range (UHF) electronic ID badge that they
carry on a lanyard or clip. The UHF ID badges
are automatically read by the uPASS readers
at a distance of up to 2m allowing staff access
though doors without the need to physically
present their ID card to the reader.
Two advantages of this hands-free system
are that it allows staff to push trolleys or
wheelchairs or to carry equipment easily
around a care home whilst also avoiding the
spread of germs or viruses through constant
contact with door handles.
Integrating the system
The ease of integrating access control
with other security measures is another
reason why the system is so appealing, as
access control software enables hospitals
and care homes to provide even tougher
protection for their sites. The systems
are often effectively linked to the likes
of CCTV, property marking, perimeter
protection or intruder alarms.
Access control systems can also work on a
small scale for just one door, as well as being
used as part of a wider security system. They
provide users with a great deal of flexibility
according to individual requirements.
By using access control as a method
of security, different authorisation levels
can be easily set, preventing people
from accessing areas they do not have
clearance for. New photo ID cards can also
be created instantly for new staff or if a
replacement is required.
Invaluable protection
Electronic access control systems are
increasingly being used to enhance safety
and security in hospitals and residential
care homes.
In these environments, staff often
need to gain access through doors while
escorting patients in wheelchairs or beds
or when carrying sterile equipment, etc.
so hands-free access is the ideal solution.
Managers, trained staff, ancillary staff,
residents and visitors can all be assigned
a pass card that will allow them access
around the building appropriate to their
status.
Nortech has supplied products and
solutions to the security industry for over 25
years as an independent British company.
The company uses extensive experience and
expertise to create new security products
to fit their clients’ needs and designs
everything with the customer in mind.
Further information is available from
Nortech on 01633 485533 or by emailing
[email protected] or by visiting
the company’s website at
www.nortechcontrol.com
56
JAN/FEB 2020
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