SECURITY AND ACCESS CONTROL


personnel to enter. Keyless entry also makes it easier to lock down a facility in the event of a security incident or other emergency. Securing a hospital with a myriad of entrance and exit doors is much more difficult with a keyed entry system than with a smart card system. Imagine trying to seal off all the exterior doors of a hospital in an emergency situation, when each door requires someone to personally visit it with the appropriate key. A standalone wire-free electronic access control system provides much greater flexibility and speed when it comes to quickly locking down buildings and restricted areas. As the latest access control systems operate using contactless smart card technology, they are capable of providing a high level of security throughout the hospital or healthcare facility. For instance, systems such SALTO’s SVN virtual network solution use data-on-card technology and battery- operated standalone locks to control up to 64,000 doors in a building or group of buildings, and up to four million staff members on a single PC if required. The system reads, receives, and writes, information via staff members’ ID cards though normal use as they move about the hospital, passing into areas via wall reader access, or opening doors equipped with standalone electronic locks.


Encrypted on cards


Since most access-related information is kept encrypted on these cards, the wall readers are able to update and receive information from the cards at any time. So, not only is the system easy to use, but its functionality means that it provides 90% of the benefits of a fully online hard- wired access control system at the cost of a standalone system. The ‘smart’ ID cards build up 'on-card' audit trails through normal use, giving hospital management staff complete control over access, and enabling the movement of staff, visitors, and contractors etc to be tracked through both the offline and online parts of the system, as required. This enables a complete access profile of each individual to be established and updated as necessary at the update point wall readers.


The ID cards can also be programmed to allow access to specific rooms or areas within the hospital for selected periods only, with the doors auto locking at pre- specified times as required, and if security is breached due to the loss of an ID card, it can be instantly deleted from the system without the need or cost of rekeying or changing locks – saving the hospital time and money.


So, as an Estates manager looking to better control security and access in your hospital what should you look for? Access control solutions can differ considerably in detail, so these are the


n Last but not least, financial savings and reduced risk. Replacing keys with electronic access control means that if an access card is lost or stolen there are no re-keying costs – saving money. A lost smart card can be cancelled immediately, and replaced within seconds. If the lost card is found and access is attempted, it will not work.


A ‘smart’ solution


Smartphones can be used alongside, or in place of, contactless access cards.


main points you should look for when evaluating if a system is right for you. As a minimum it should include: n A standalone wire-free or wireless system for maximum flexibility.


n The ability to control who can access specific areas at specific times.


n The ability to control access to the lifts and to the floor levels that people can access.


n The ability to assign access privileges for fixed periods of your choice, ensuring that access is automatically cancelled on expiry of the allotted period.


n Audit trailing to enable the ID smart card to provide information on the movements of staff, visitors, and contractors, through all doors protected by electronic access control, thus enabling the user to see who accessed a particular door and when in the event of a security incident.


n The ability to issue temporary passes to visitors, with restricted access and a restricted timeframe.


n The ability to provide contractors with access control cards that can be disabled when they are not required on site. The cards can be enabled when they are on site for the locations they need to visit.


n Emergency lockdown – in the event of a security incident or other emergency, the site can be locked down simply and quickly.


n Keyless and mobile access – modern access control offers users the choice of opening doors with convenient and flexible credentials; by smartphone, smart card, or PIN number.


n Consider incorporating antibacterial technology (which is even more important in the COVID world) as a finish on your door handles, locker locks etc. As an example, BioCote antibacterial technology available on SALTO products helps to reduce bacteria by up to 99.99% over a 24-hour period, providing a more hygienically clean door handle.


Keith Carey


Keith Carey is Marketing manager for SALTO Systems UK, which has been delivering state-of-the-art wire-free and keyless electronic access control solutions since 2001. The company is reportedly ‘a global market-leader’ in electronic access control solutions, and, more recently, its technological expertise has brought it to leading positions in both cloud-based access control technology and mobile access solutions. He says: “How healthcare security is achieved depends on many factors, including the level of security and convenience required in specific areas such as operating theatres, consulting rooms, pharmacies, laboratories, drug cabinets, surgical wards, and so on, but whatever the access control solution used, it has to be both secure and flexible, so that staff and patient safety are maintained.”


September 2021 Health Estate Journal 63


While the prospect of upgrading from a keyed system to an electronic one is always a significant undertaking, many hospitals have found it worthwhile to do so, embracing the use of smart cards and, increasingly, smartphones, as part of their access solution. As with most things, the key to success lies in selecting a product and a vendor that offer all of the above functions, to allow managers to securely control who can access what, where, and when, thus ensuring that the migration is both innovative and seamless. The system chosen should not only fulfil a hospital’s needs today, but, equally importantly, create a platform for future applications that will also meet the needs of the hospital tomorrow.


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