Sean Falkinder of ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland outlines the benefits of advanced wireless security.
The need for healthcare facilities to be secure and efficient is clear. Patients have a right to privacy and safety and confidential data must be protected, while any time that staff spend on avoidable administration is time that would be better spent providing care.
However, in practice, the complex and busy nature of many healthcare facilities means that their security and efficiency often falls short.
One major reason for this is that traditional mechanical keys simply cannot deal with the complex requirements of the modern hospitals or care homes. Thankfully, there are now solutions available that provide all the benefits of access control with those of a physical key system – offering healthcare facilities a modern, flexible way of managing access for their staff.
Bringing keys into the 21st century
With an advanced wireless security system in place, facility managers can control staff’s access to different areas of their building remotely. Each member of staff is given a key and, via the software, provided with access rights tailored to their specific responsibilities.
This takes away the need for staff to track down missing keys when they need to enter a particular area, saving time and making operations more efficient. It also means that there is no security risk when a key goes missing – all the system operator has to do is revoke that key’s access rights.
The fact that the locks within the system are integrated also means facility managers are able to request comprehensive audit trails. This means they can see who has accessed which room (or tried to) and when – particularly useful when items go missing or if there is a need to investigate a set of events.
Securing vulnerable areas
Advanced wireless security systems are ideal for a range of areas within the average healthcare facility, where they will enhance security and make operations more efficient so staff have more time to concentrate on their duties.
The lack of wires means that they are often installed in plant rooms, electrical cupboards, IT server rooms and similar areas. The benefit of this is that there is no need to add further wires or power to the door and also that the rooms become inaccessible to staff who are not trained to enter them – especially important, for example, in high-voltage zones.
They are also ideal for securing any areas that require restricted access, as well as IT rooms, where they will protect sensitive data such as patient records and payroll information.
Introducing CLIQ Remote
One of the leading advanced wireless security systems for healthcare facilities is ASSA ABLOY’s award-winning CLIQ Remote, which offers all the above-mentioned benefits in terms of functionality and versatility plus a range of other advantages.
CLIQ Remote has been specially designed to combine the advantages of access control and mechanical key systems. It allows each key to be programmed and updated individually so key holders only have access to the areas relevant to them and during their allocated times and/or dates.
Key holders update their CLIQ Remote keys using a wall or mobile programming device, for the changes to take place. The system is managed using the online CLIQ Remote Web Manager, an intuitive tool that makes it simple to manage access rights, enable or disable keys and customise access rights either on site or on the go.
It is also extremely easy to install, with ordinary doors becoming access control doors in a matter of minutes. In addition, if office locations change, it is easy to move the cylinders and there is no impact on fire ratings.
Hospitals, care homes and other healthcare facilities do some of the most crucial work in our society. They are far too important to have their security and efficiency held back by manual locking solutions that are inadequate to the demands placed upon them. If you still haven’t upgraded to advanced wireless security for the most vulnerable areas of your building, consider making it your top priority.
For more information on ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland, please visit www.assaabloyopeningsolutions.co.uk, email [email protected] or call 0845 223 2124.
To find out more about CLIQ Remote, please visit https://www.assaabloyopeningsolutions.co.uk/.
This article was published in the August 2021 edition of Security Journal UK. Pick up your FREE digital copy on the link here