ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEMS
mechanism currently in the final stages of design – and expected to launch later this year. Kevin Addie says: “There is no cap on what this system can do. We are always listening to what our clients are asking for, and we carry out ‘voice of the customer’ sessions. This feedback is vital for tomorrow’s innovations.”
Simplicity ‘key’
Safehinge Primera’s Access Control Management software operates third party electronic locking via vandal-resistant wall readers. Also shown is the new anti-ligature handle, Suregrip.
only vital to alert staff to service-users attempting to access areas they shouldn’t, but can also have other benefits. “It might show that a service-user is only leaving their room for lunch or for therapy sessions, so could alert staff to the fact that they may need some more activities to support their wellbeing and recovery,” explains Martin Lees, who adds: “You can tell a lot about a service-user from this detail. It’s about recovery and giving them responsibility, and adds a great deal to mental health environments.” With the Passport system, Safehinge Primera says that staff can gain fast, reliable emergency access – something that every mental health facility is seeking, yet, the company says, that few traditional electronic locks actually provide. “It’s about providing independence and security, but also always giving the ability to override the lockset, and for staff to be able to gain access in an emergency,” explains Philip Ross. “That’s what is unique about our products. Patients can have their own key, but at all times this can be safely overridden by staff.”
Mental health Trusts are favouring modern keycards or fobs, but increasingly, comfortable, adjustable wristbands are also being specified. “Cards can more easily be sharpened or damaged,” explains Martin Lees, “so clients are switching to our wristbands, which are specifically designed for at-risk users, with ligature performance and hygiene considerations also taken into account.”
A more comfortable wristband Over the past year the Safehinge Primera team has worked with clinical staff to manufacture a more comfortable wristband solution – designed to be tactile, to neatly fit on the wrist without annoyance, and to look modern and inoffensive in terms of colour. Vitally for mental health services, the Passport system is also anti-ligature tested to TS001 with A4 rating – the maximum achievable. The company’s R&D team is constantly evaluating and improving the system, with a new version featuring a built-in override
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Estates teams are often keen to manage all access on one central system, and Safehinge Primera can incorporate third- party locking systems through the use of wall readers. Ensuring ease and efficiency of access management, it says this also safeguards any existing investment in alternative locking systems. With electronic access control systems now an integral consideration at the earliest stage of any mental healthcare facility refurbishment or new-build project, it is increasingly becoming the remit of architects to help specify the best solutions. Victor Muniz at Ryder Architecture used Safehinge Primera’s electronic access control at Cornwall’s first child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) facility, the Sowenna Unit, on the Bodmin Hospital site. He explains: “There are many things for us to consider from an architectural standpoint when we design any mental health facility. We are trying to achieve a non-institutional feel, and old access control systems were very prison-like.
Making facilities safer and easier to manage
“The most important thing is that a system should allow patients access to the areas they should be able to go to, while at the same time making sure they do not go into areas they shouldn’t be allowed in,” the architect continues. “New electronic access control systems are helping us to do this, making facilities much safer and easier to manage. For us as architects, it’s a crucial part of the overall design of a safe and therapeutic environment.”
As with Safehinge Primera’s ‘voice of the customer’ exercises, architects also need to sit down with stakeholders at the earliest opportunity, says Victor Muniz, since each Trust’s requirements for a system can differ. “Each client has a different management policy,” he explains. “It’s therefore very important to sit down with staff and service-users to identify what they need and how they want to run the building. Things do not always work the same way in every Trust.” Simplicity, again, is also key.
“In our experience,” Victor Muniz adds, “the people who administer the systems day to day are clinical staff, not IT professionals, so, it’s important that the technology is simple to operate, or they won’t use it properly. You can have a fancy new system, but once it’s in there and the manufacturer has left, no one knows how to manage it. What we want is a solution that works on the first day and also five years later – because it’s easy to manage
Jo Makosinski
Jo Makosinski is a journalist with 27 years’ experience in national and regional newspapers and commercial and business-to- business magazines. She has specialised in healthcare architecture and estates and facilities management for the past nine years, and edits several titles, as well as organising the annual Building Better Healthcare Awards.
JULY 2019 | THE NETWORK
An electronic lockset with five-way mechanical staff override with turn-pull handle, operated by an access card.
and staff can use it. That’s what we loved about the Safehinge Primera system. At the CAMHS unit we have two clusters of beds, one male and one female, so access needs to be controlled between those areas. The Passport system is easy to programme and update, and we loved the fact that it was integrated with the doorsets and full-door alarms. Service- users also like the technology – because it seems modern, empowering, and promotes independence. Overall, the system has enabled us to create a building that doesn’t look institutional.” Philip Ross concludes: “It’s the age-old challenge in mental health that people go with what they know – mechanical locks – but we are starting to see more mental healthcare providers adopting electronic locksets, and recognising the positive impact that these modern systems can have on recovery.”
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