At Brighton and Sussex NHS Trust, keys to drugs lockers were issued manually, with one member of staff acting as a steward. However, this led to human error, difficulties in locating the keys and more administration duties for busy ward staff. Despite the thorough manual processes in place and the majority of staff remaining vigilant, stock discrepancies did occur, through error and in some cases theft.
This had serious health and safety, security and cost implications, which led the hospital to buy a Traka key management product. The keys to the drug lockers are now stored within the intelligent key cabinet. Through the ward staff’s ID credentials, only authorised staff are able to access the cabinet. Also, the keys inside the system are locked in place by Traka’s secure iFobs, which means a hierarchy of access rights can be given to each key, depending on the strength or skill of administrating each drug. So within the cabinet, only certain keys will be available depending on the pre-determined access rights.
The key cabinet has been programmed so that two members of staff need to swipe their credential to take and to return a key to the system. This creates greater accountability and encourages best practice amongst ward staff.
Simon Whitehorn, Head of Security for Brighton and Sussex NHS Trust said: “The Traka system has made a massive difference to the drugs dispensing process on the wards. From a health and safety perspective, we can have greater confidence that drugs do not get into the wrong hands, or that untrained workers can not get hold of drugs they are not authorised to administer. From the ward staff’s point of view, it has taken away timely administration tasks, and the frustrations of trying to locate keys when a patient is in need of medication.
“Accountability is also a major part of the benefits for us. Since installation, the frequency of stock discrepancies has been dramatically reduced. However, when there are questions raised, the reporting functionality that the system offers, lets us know who has accessed what key and when, so we can track down the individual responsible and find out more.”
The NHS Trust has also installed a Traka system to manage access in and around the estates. Two large key cabinets are outside the security office, so authorised personnel who have access to sensitive areas of the hospital can retrieve the keys they are allowed to use.
Th hospital says this cuts admin of security staff, and allows people to access keys easily and safely. The system is also programmed to set curfews on keys to certain areas. This means that security staff are alerted if a key was meant to be returned at a certain time, providing greater health and safety around drugs issuance.
Tom Smith, Vertical Solutions Specialist – Finance, Healthcare and Hospitality, for Traka (part of the multi-national security product company Assa Abloy) said: “Brighton and Sussex NHS Trust is a fantastic example of how healthcare facilities are making key management an embedded aspect of its health, safety and security procedures. From the basic key management functionalities for accessing keys to the building, right the way to the drugs management on the wards, the Trust is taking accountability and safety seriously.”
