Inverness hospital uses electromechanical solution for security

NHS Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, has been supplied with an electromechanical solution from Abloy UK for their on-site facilities management and security.

NHS Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. Credit: Abloy UK

NHS Raigmore provides a range of healthcare services – surgical, medical, clinical support and has eight floors, over 2,800 staff and over 450 beds.

According to the vendor, the hospital is the only District General Hospital in the NHS Highland Partnership, which owns over 200 sites throughout their Health Board area.

The large size of the hospital estate requires an extensive facilities management team to oversee building maintenance and environmental services. Plant rooms, high and low voltage rooms and roof hatches are said to be accessed daily to maintain the building – along with a helipad that needs securing and opening when air ambulance need to land.

NHS Raigmore wanted a key management solution that would meet the latest regulations, has the capability to monitor the use of keys and can easily revoke access from lost or stolen keys.

The eCLIQ system from Abloy UK was installed throughout the estate, with 82 locks fitted by Raigmore’s facilities management team and 42 keys issued to staff and contractors.

“A great asset to the hospital”

eCLIQ cylinder. Credit: Abloy UK

The key management system uses web management software designed to provide insight into when, where and by who the keys are used. Facilities management are also said to have a detailed overview and control of access across the hospital as the system logs the time and user of the key every time it’s used. If problems occur, it is easier to determine who last entered the room to find out more information in a ‘substantially reduced’ time.

The risk of unauthorised access is reduced with web management software controlling the validation and revoking of keys. Likewise, former employees who do not return their key will no longer have access because their key can simply be removed from the system.

Colin McEwen, Design Lead – Estate Management, NHS Raigmore, said, “New legislation required connectivity of assets. Rory at Abloy suggested eCLIQ as a solution, and the mechanical locks combined with the benefits that connectivity offers have proved a great asset to the hospital.

“Previously, when a key gets lost, the only way to ensure security was maintained was to change our cylinders. eCLIQ has negated this, saving us money and time. We have set access to coincide with staff shift-patterns and any attempted access out of these times is revoked. The system has also made it easier to see who is accessing rooms.

“We found the cylinders easy to install, and the support provided by Abloy has helped us transition smoothly to this electromechanical system.”

Rory Grant, Regional Specification Manager at Abloy UK adds: “eCLIQ offers Raigmore Hospital a high level of security and is ideal for areas such as plant rooms and roof hatches. The system has performed very well since installation, and we are optimistic about extending the system throughout the NHS Highland.”

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