Safety and Security in Care Homes

At A Plus Security our care and focus are ensuring that the security, people, buildings, and possessions are kept safe. Buildings, whether residential or commercial, are all susceptible and at risk to vandalism, burglaries and more and keeping them and the people occupying the building safe should always be of the utmost importance. One area which sits between between commercial and residential is nursing and care homes, though businesses they house some of the most vulnerable members of society, making the need for security a vital necessity. We have listed areas nursing homes and similar establishments should consider when reviewing and looking to update their security systems.

CCTV

When it comes to the security of premises, CCTV is normally the first security discipline that is considered and for good reasons. A good CCTV system can be fundamental in protecting property or, where necessary, utilising video footage to use as identification following an incident. With the vast amount of people typically living in nursing homes, the need for CCTV is crucial for the safeguarding and wellbeing of residents.

CCTV also offers other benefits such as ensuring staff are acting in accordance with regulations and best practices. In the unfortunate incident that a resident or member of staff injures themselves indoor CCTV cameras can be crucial in identifying the cause. CCTV cameras are a deterrent for any potential criminal activities among others so it can prevent problems from arising as well as bring about a swift resolution to those that do occur.

Alarms

Alarms are a basic safety and security measure designed to alert you of any trespassers. If someone enters the premises who should not be there the staff need to know. Nursing homes without sufficient alarms are missing an opportunity to add an extra layer of security to the building which can further protect residents, staff, and visitors. Alarm systems can be programmed so that certain areas of a building can be alarmed when other areas are not, this maybe be fire doors, doors that are rarely accessed or other areas that may be off limits for only but authorised staff.

Access Control

Access control is an essential part of care home security. Restricting access to staff and visitors. You can find access control in a variety of forms such as pin and fob access, fob only or even biometric readers. Some care homes may use two levels of security, using a door with fob access followed by a second door which requires a pin or biometric entry. The doors can even be setup as an airlock when one door must fully close before another allows entry. These types of two-level security system mean that should someone accidentally see the pin code or retrieve a fob they are still unable to access the building.

Visitor Management

There are more than just staff that need to get into the building though, there are visitors that will pass through on a daily basis. Nursing homes need to prioritise a system which monitors all visitors that come in and leave. Not only does this help staff ensure visitors are in fact visitors and have gone through the necessary signing in process but it also produces a list of people occupying the building which could prove vital in the case of a fire evacuation. You can find some very effective visitor management systems that can even integrate with the access control systems which handle the entire process from taking a photo, printing out a disposable ID and offering an easy use sign-in / sign-out software.

From home surveillance to visitor management systems there are many ways to further protect yourself, staff, residents, and visitors when it comes to nursing homes. The areas discussed can be the difference when ensuring the safeguarding of the staff and residents.

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