NHS Raigmore provides an extensive range of healthcare services – surgical, medical, clinical support – and with eight floors, over 2,800 staff, and over 450 beds, is extremely busy. It is the only district general hospital in the NHS Highland Partnership, which owns over 200 sites throughout its Health Board area, and the size of the estate requires a large FM team to oversee building maintenance and environmental services. Plant rooms, high and low voltage rooms, and roof hatches, are accessed daily, along with a helipad that needs securing and opening when air ambulances need to land.
NHS Raigmore approached Abloy UK to discuss a key management solution that would meet the latest regulations, could monitor the use of keys, and can easily revoke access from lost or stolen keys. The company recommended eCLIQ, a web-based locking and key management solution, which was installed throughout the estate, with 82 locks fitted by Raigmore’s FM team ,and 42 keys issued to staff and contractors. Installation was easy, as the cylinders do not require a power output.
Assa Abloy explains that eCLIQ uses web management software, ‘providing valuable insights into when, where and by who the keys are used’. It explained: “FM personnel have a detailed overview and control of access across the hospital, as the system logs the time and user of the key each time it is used. If problems occur, it is easy to determine who last entered the room to find out more information substantially faster. 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.”
Assa Abloy says CLIQ also ‘provides life-saving operational benefits during air emergencies’, as staff no longer need to locate the helipad key to access the pad. All authorised personnel can use their specific key to unlock the pad.
Colin McEwen, Design lead, Estate Management, NHS Raigmore, said: “New legislation required connectivity of assets. Rory Grant, the Regional Specification manager at Abloy UK, suggested eCLIQ as a solution, and the mechanical locks, combined with the benefits that connectivity offers, have proven a great asset to the hospital.
“Previously, when a key got 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 from Abloy has helped us transition smoothly to this electromechanical system.”