Feature
The Evolving Role Of Access Control In Healthcare
Daniel May of Consort reviews the integration of access control systems in healthcare settings, outlining the benefits and key considerations decision makers must make throughout product specification.
From patient safety and traversal to the protection of sensitive data and pharmaceuticals, today’s healthcare environments are faced with several operational challenges. And where security remains at the forefront of decision making, modern access control systems may often hold the answers.
Hospitals in particular have developed into multi-faceted spaces that house hundreds to thousands of patients, staff and visitors at any one time. In England for example, research has found in the three months leading to June 2023, an average of 44,626 people visited major hospital A&E departments each day, with over 16 million attendances typically recorded over the course of a year1
- not to mention an additional 9 million logged at other minor units.
For any building, this level of sustained footfall can invite severe security tests. With that, the need to deploy effective physical security systems in healthcare is clear. And so, as access control continues to become more readily adopted and new products enter the market, decision makers are reminded to consider the requirements of their building, ensuring they select the solutions most suited to their settings and budget.
Security Controlled
Patient safety will always remain top priority in healthcare settings, and where matters of health and social care come into question, a diverse set of professional regulatory bodies2 are tasked with setting and maintaining high standards. When it comes to healthcare premises specifically, patient security and perimeter security often come hand in hand and are amongst the most pressing of challenges that decision makers must face. To help address operational planning and potential design concerns in the NHS, the Health Building Note3
– citing the use of access control measures5
provides general design guidance for healthcare buildings under HBN 00-014
(HBN), as a
way of maintaining security and protecting the safety of patients, staff and visitors.
Hospital buildings for example, must control varied levels of access for a number of operational and security purposes. Routine scenarios exist where vulnerable patients are under monitoring and thus refrained from exiting the premises for their own safety, while at the same time, permitted staff must be able to reach their patients and medicines when required. For this, the use of access control is key. Equally, access credentials can also help management teams keep track of those who may be entering or exiting rooms with equipment and pharmaceutical supplies, deterring any unwanted visitors and opportunists in the process.
On a similar note, regulations have set a minimum standard6 for
how personal data should be stored and managed in healthcare environments, giving decision makers an added responsibility to regulate staff-controlled areas with patient medical records. While instances of personal data breaches are rare, healthcare facilities and professionals are at legal risk should confidential data be found misused or missing. As such, the incorporation of access control systems has become essential in keeping data storage areas secure, with intuitive online systems capable of permitting access to staff with the correct credentials while simultaneously tracking who has requested clearance at digital entry points.
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