NHS Ayrshire & Arran Crosshouse is a university hospital that includes a wide range of services, including paediatric inpatient services and provides emergency care for the North and East Ayrshire.
The trust was looking into a new, secure system for controlling and monitoring access to medicine cabinets around the hospital to replace their current system.
Previously, the hospital relied on traditional mechanical locks and keys to secure its medicines. Keys were monitored with paper trails, and to maintain security only one key per ward was in circulation. Nurses time was consumed in the process of finding the key from another member of staff which posed a risk in emergency situations when access is needed immediately.
To alleviate these issues, the hospital management decided to look for a solution that ensured the security of medicines and provided a full audit trail of access available if required. After success in other healthcare institutes, Crosshouse decided to contact Abloy UK for a compliant solution to trial in ward 3E acute stroke unit.
The trust trialled a bespoke solution, installed by Maclean UK locksmiths, combining PROTEC2 CLIQ®, three Traka21 key cabinets, and EL160 lock case compliant to British Standard EN179.
PROTEC2 CLIQ® is an easy-to-use access control system based on mechanical, high security disc cylinders combined with highly encrypted electronic locking and identification.
Power to the lock is provided by the CLIQ® key, therefore no batteries or wires are required to either the lock or drug cabinet, making it an ideal retrofit solution – even for applications such as mobile drug trolleys.
The system allows for remote key management, providing comprehensive audit trials on locks and padlocks and the ability to remove lost or stolen keys from the system, increasing the security of controlled drugs and saves costs on replacing lost keys and installing new cylinders.
PROTEC2 CLIQ® was combined with the Traka21 key management system, by simply entering a PIN code to access a specific key which they validate using the wall programming unit, they can access every cabinet they are authorised to open. Access is granted for 14 hours to allow nurses access throughout the entirety of their shift but will deactivate after this period.
Christine Summerville, Senior Charge Nurse at Crosshouse Infi rmary, Kilmarnock NHS Trust, said: “Our objective has always been to improve the security of our hospital. Ward 3E trial has been a great success, both increasing the security of medicines and improved efficiency of nurses.
“The CLIQ® system provided monitored access to drug cabinets, and the TRAKA21 allows nurses a key for their shift which has saved vital time throughout the day. We are extremely pleased with the positive impact provided by the system and we’re optimistic to expand into more wards throughout our hospital.”
Rory Grant, Regional Specification Development Manager at Abloy UK, added: “It’s been fantastic working alongside Crosshouse Hospital and throughout this trial, period staff have noticed a considerable amount of time saved. Giving each individual nurse an access key allows drug administering so much faster. “The healthcare industry has been under pressure recently to deliver cost saving and increased efficiencies. We are proud that our products can achieve this and still improve nurses’ high level of care.”
