Before just about anything else, community hospitals need to be safe and secure so that our most vulnerable are fully protected whilst recovering from injury and illness. However, we all know that security has become a major concern across the board in the 21st century. Even a cursory look at the news reveals that breaches that threaten patients, staff and critical equipment are becoming commonplace as the need for superior hospital security ramps up:
- A police officer and security guard were shot at a hospital in Nepean, NSW.
- A patient attacked security personnel at a hospital in Footscray, Victoria.
- A neurosurgeon was stabbed 14 times in the foyer of Melbourne’s Western Hospital.
Unfortunately, these are just three examples of the types of serious security breaches that can make patients, visitors and staff worry just as much about their personal security as they are about healing. And it’s not just physical attacks that are concerning, but also the safeguarding of critical medical information, resources and equipment, not to mention patient and staff valuables and more.
What can be done about hospital security?
1. Guards
Hospital security guards are your first and last line of defence, providing not only a visible deterrent but a skilled set of laser-like human eyes on the comings and goings of busy hospitals and medical facilities.
2. Monitoring
Going beyond the reliable human eye is the even more reliable and sophisticated gaze of state-of-the-art camera security systems, with 24/7 monitoring meaning the merest sign of a potential breach is spotted and recorded.
3. Access control
Your hospital’s ‘gatekeeper’ should be an innovative and up-to-date access control solution, allowing only staff and fully identified and approved visitors to pass through the nominated entry points. For hospitals, sophisticated solutions for particularly sensitive areas are necessary, ensuring that patients, staff, equipment, information and valuables cannot be accessed without approval.
In a place of quiet, peace and healing, appropriate levels of hospital security is a fine line to walk for medical administrators, for whom visible displays of weapons and ‘pat downs’ will never be suitable. But with the perfect and tailored balance of targeted security measures, the risk of breaches, harm, damage and theft can be almost completely eliminated.
The right hospital security will:
- Reduce the risk of violence
- Protect life-saving hospital personnel, equipment and infrastructure
- Provide peace of mind with clear & comprehensive but non-intimidating, balanced and discreet visible and non-visible security measures.
For those in the security game, hospitals are quite often referred to as ‘soft targets’ – meaning they’re high density with multiple access points and an environment more focused on compassion and care than security. Unfortunately, that just makes them a vulnerable target that is more likely to attract breaches, violence, contamination & theft.
Ask CitiGuard about hospital security
Is your hospital or medical facility overdue for a security update, rethink or risk assessment? At the best and long-serving Sydney security company, CitiGuard Protection Services can attend your site to check for vulnerabilities and recommend a rigorous and balanced solution based on need and budget.
Established in 1966, CitiGuard is one of Australia’s oldest and most trusted security companies for home, business and government sectors, so get in touch today and ask about our specialised suite of hospital security services.
