Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust was plagued with inadequate security systems through no fault of their own. When we took a meeting with the Trust’s new Head of Security at Dewsbury Hospital, he already knew there was long road to get them up to the standard he envisioned, and that the hospital deserved.
The first step was a thorough health check (strap yourselves in for many hospital puns), we submitted a full scale validation report on their CCTV setup that highlighted a myriad of complex issues. From our initial assessment, we surmised that the system had been added-to and extended over a number of years with no real vision for the purpose of the solution.
The report gave the Trust our plans to improve the setup, leaving no gaps in their security and providing a solution to secure the site to the standard the new Head of Security knew it needed.
From our diagnosis, we conveyed that the only solution that would secure the site for the long-term future would be to start fresh with brand new cabling and a new IT infrastructure that was entirely separate from the hospital network. Using independent network switches in remote parts of the hospital and a fibre network that was routed to a brand-new office that was outfitted in a secure part of the hospital.
Previously, Dewsbury Hospital was setup with 88 analogue cameras and 70 IP cameras that were of varying camera quality and specifications. Leading to an improvised approach of a setup, with no logic or intuitiveness that wasn’t akin to the high-tech modern day hospital the Trust pride themselves on.
We relocated the previous control room into a secure, air-conditioned office outfitted with specialist security furniture from InTech Solutions- designed to be used for 24 hours without a break for maximum comfort. We completed all building work on this project to maintain that it was completed to the highest standard.
We designed a Hikvision central suite to fit with their existing Hikvision cameras, we installed 88 new IP cameras to replace the previous analogue cameras, and added 89 new IP Hikvision cameras that gave the suite maximum coverage and visibility into the entire facility.
The new solution featured Hikvision Central, Hikvision’s premium video management system. It allows users to seamlessly switch between recorders on a central management system, making it easier to track, follow and identify persons of interest around the site. We added ANPR cameras at the entrance of the site to allow managers to track known problem vehicles to be blacklisted, giving security the added ability to protect the site against known dangers.
We installed our own separate containment and cable basket for this as per the hospital’s request. In an effort the start a clean slate, and protect the integrity of the electrical functions of the security suite.
Your Choice read my mind, they knew exactly what I wanted and what the hospital needed, Your Choice knew their stuff. We knew we were in safe hands.
The security officers perhaps benefited the most from this project. They were given a brand-new, fit for purpose space that was entirely GDPR compliant. Similarly, the hospital appreciated that the security system was taken off the main network and given it’s own fibre network, meaning local network speeds in the hospital were higher.
Since then, we have kept the maintenance contract at Dewsbury Hospital and done additional work on satellite sites around Wakefield and Leeds including Pinderfields Hospital and Stanley Hall.
