The hospital at the core of North Staffordshire addresses the healthcare needs of over half a million patients from the regions surrounding Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Stoke-On-Trent, and the Staffordshire Moorlands.
Operating under The NHS Trust, the hospital functions across two main sites: the Royal Infirmary and the City General. Both facilities offer a comprehensive range of emergency, general, and specialized medical services.
A critical responsibility of the General Services Department within the hospital is managing and securing an extensive array of keys used across various departments.
Technology Implementation Needs
The hospital was in need of a system that could enhance key management across different departments and wards while providing robust key reporting capabilities. The complexity of managing thousands of keys across both hospital sites was evident, with challenges including after-hours accessibility, lack of visibility into who had each key, and issues concerning lost or stolen keys.
Additionally, the solution had to align with a predefined budget and provide comprehensive reporting for each key.
Morse Watchman's Proposed Solution
Key Control System logs each key’s access history, including user, date, and check-out/return timesTo address these challenges, Morse Watchman recommended the KeyWatcher® Key Control System. This system is specifically tailored to log the access history of each key, detailing user, date, and time of check-out and return. Each user requires an individual authorization code to release a key, significantly reducing the likelihood of keys being misplaced or accessed by unauthorized personnel.
The KeyWatcher® is equipped with the KeyPro® Software, a user-friendly PC application that supplies real-time data regarding key locations and histories. It facilitates the easy generation of activity reports, sketching a key's trajectory by date, time, authorization code, or biometric access data. Built in a robust metal frame, the streamlined system supersedes older methods like lock boxes and manual key logs, which are prone to error and inefficiency.
System in Practice
The KeyWatcher® Key Control System, complete with options for fingerprint access, is now implemented at both hospital sites. A completely new installation was made at the Royal Infirmary, while an existing system at City General was upgraded. Both systems are now fully operational, granting full oversight of key access and usage to authorized staff.
Personnel have varying levels of key access, ensuring effective control and deterring negligence. Key access is managed around the clock, preventing delays and improving operational efficiency. The General Services Department utilizes the KeyPro® Software to regularly produce reports on key usability and to respond to security alerts promptly.
Outcomes and Benefits
The introduction of the KeyWatcher® Key Control System has resulted in smarter and faster operations, as the KeyPro® Software provides immediate notifications to managers about any keys that are overdue or missing.
As the system restricts key access to only authorized individuals, the risk of misuse or loss is significantly lowered. Additionally, detailed reports generated by the KeyPro® Software offer a complete audit trail at the press of a button, conserving valuable time and resources.
Based in the heart of North Staffordshire, the hospital serves a population of over half a million patients around the areas of Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Stoke-On-Trent and the Staffordshire Moorlands. Part of The NHS Trust, the hospital currently serves over two sites; The Royal Infirmary and the City General.
Both sites provide an extensive portfolio of emergency, general and specialist hospital services. Within the hospital, the General Services Department have many responsibilities including the management and security of the various keys used within the hospital.
Technology objective
The hospital needed a solution that would provide greater key control across departments and wards along with key reporting facilities.
The challenge
Within both sites there are thousands of keys in operation that require monitoring and strong security. Across both sites the General Services Department had issues with staff waiting around for keys to be issued out of hours.
The exact whereabouts of keys was also difficult to manage and control as there was a lack of visibility about which member of staff had what key. Lost or stolen keys also proved problematic to the hospital as they were difficult to trace. Finally, the solution had to be delivered within a defined budget and was to provide strong reporting facilities for every key.
Morse Watchmans solution
When faced with the challenges of the hospital, Morse Watchman recommended and introduced the KeyWatcher® Key Control System. The KeyWatcher® is a custom-tailored solution designed to record the access history of each key, including user, date and time of checkout and return. In order to release an assigned key, each user needs an individual authorization code. By having individual authorization codes, the risk of a key being misplaced is greatly reduced. The risk of unauthorized people removing keys is completely eradicated.
The KeyWatcher® comes with its unique KeyPro® Software. This user-friendly PC application delivers real time information concerning the whereabouts and history of any key for the KeyWatcher® system. Activity reports are easily produced that can trace a keys’ movements by date and time, authorization code or biometric access data. Constructed in rugged metal the slimline system eliminates the need for outdated lock boxes, messy key identification tabs and unreliable key recording manuals and manual logs.
In action
The KeyWatcher® Key Control System, complete with fingerprint access control options is now used across both sites of the hospital. A completely new system has been installed in the Royal Infirmary and an old KeyWatcher® system has been updated at the City General site. Both systems are now fully functional at each site.
Teams now have complete visibility into the whereabouts of any key and can track usage by authorized people at any given time. Staff are assigned various levels of access to the keys which helps to maintain effective key control and guard against carelessness or oversight.
Keys are now controlled 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which has meant time is no longer wasted with people waiting. The KeyPro® Software is used regularly by the General Services Department to produce reports concerning usability and any security alerts.
The results
The new KeyWatcher® Key Control System, has meant that the hospital teams have been able to work much smarter and faster as if a key is overdue or missing, the KeyPro® Software will notify the relevant manager immediately.
As the system only releases keys to authorized people, the risk of keys being lost or taken by an unauthorized person is reduced. Finally, as the KeyPro® Software produces detailed reports on the KeyWatcher® system, a full audit trail is avaliable at the touch of a button saving valuable time and resources.
