Glasgow hospitals, Stobhill and Victoria are two of Scotland’s largest hospitals, each featuring four floors covering 30,000 square meters and providing care for 400,000 patients. CEM Systems supplied the new US$117 million hospitals with a fully integrated IP solution using the CEM integrated system. Installed by ADT Glasgow, the system provides the integration platform for more than 26 DVRs and Honeywell intruder alarm panels.
Glasgow hospitals, Stobhill and Victoria are two of Scotland's largest hospitals, each featuring four floors covering 30,000 square meters and providing care for 400,000 patients. CEM Systems supplied the new US$117 million hospitals with a fully integrated IP solution using the CEM integrated system. Installed by ADT Glasgow, the system provides the integration platform for more than 26 DVRs and Honeywell intruder alarm panels.
As part of the prestigious public/ private sector partnership project, the new ambulatory care hospitals at Victoria and Stobhill represented a significant investment in National Health Services (NHS) and marked a new era in patient care.
Using CEM card readers within the design of the system, CEM provided the hospitals with a flexible and versatile IP-based security solution. The reader is the industry's smallest Ethernet card reader with LED lights, integrated keypad for added PIN security and an LCD display to show card response messages. The keypad adds PIN security ensuring there are numerous layers of security in order for an individual to enter certain areas of the hospital. This could prove particularly useful for the pharmacy, intensive care and other secure areas of the hospital which require restricted access. The reader also features an internal database giving offline card validation at all times, even when host communications are not available.
A selection of readers was also mounted in tamper-proof intercom enclosures to add the option of dialog to particular hospital doors.
Significant cost savings were made throughout the project using the industry first, CEM PoE and door interface unit. The key benefit of the unit is that it eliminates the need for both a mains connection and a local power supply to the door. As a new building with Ethernet infrastructure, the interface is dedicated security network supplied sufficient power via the same Cat 5e/6 cable to power CEM readers and most importantly to reliably power a double magnetic lock at 840 mA securing the door. In addition to reducing the cost of electrical infrastructure, the interface unit installation is classed as low voltage and can be completed by IT network installers without the expense of an electrician or electrical contractor.
Stobhill and Victoria hospitals found many of the software modules beneficial including ID badging which allows the security personnel to produce permanent and temporary ID badges for medical staff, contractors and visitors. Using the integrated system's pass design module, security staff can easily design and print their own access control passes. This allowed them to easily add the NHS logo to their card design. Using the integrated system, it offered the hospitals the ability to link card holders to access groups such as Day Surgery, Accident & Emergency, X-ray and more. This ensures that each individual cardholder has the appropriate level of access to restricted areas.
The "Broadcast Zones" application also aids the hospitals in their fire evacuation strategy. Broadcast zones allow emergency evacuation to be staggered in the event of a fire and are also used to open certain doors at specific times of the day for free access.
As an integrated security management system, the CEM integrated system installed at Stobhill/Victoria was fully integrated with intruder panels and DVRs. Both hospitals have one of the UK's largest virtual matrix systems with more than 26 DVRs and more than 300 fixed dome and PTZ dome cameras installed. The system allows staff to simultaneously record, play back and archive video, text and audio footage, ensuring footage is never lost. It also responds to events with alarm-triggered dome positioning and can be set to record only the events you need by setting triggers for alarms generated electronically. This can help save space on the hard drive.
The system's alarm event display (AED) application is a powerful interface that shows graphical maps of the hospitals and their associated reader/ camera locations. It is the central GUI that integrates the cameras and intruder panels into the system. AED responds to all alarm situations in real time, providing a dynamic on-screen interface to reader and camera footage. Via the AED application located in the hospital security room, security personnel can quickly respond to alarm events and view footage as well as remotely control doors in the event of an emergency. This is highly important to the hospitals as staff need to feel secure when dealing with patients. If a patient becomes abusive or violent and a member of staff feels uncomfortable they can also hit a panic alarm and it will show on the central AED. The security team can then click on the nearest camera in the AED application to view the situation.
Over the next six years, there will be a $1 billion investment in Glasgow's hospitals and security will be of extreme importance due to patient safety, criminal threats and increased attacks on staff. CEM Systems have provided Stobhill and Victoria with an advanced future proof security solution and will continue to support both Glasgow hospitals in their future security needs.