Care Home Security
Care homes need security systems that protect residents, staff, medicines, valuables and restricted areas.
Thornhill Security supplies specialist products for care environments, including controlled drug cabinets, key management systems, anti-ligature locks, safes and visibility mirrors.
Care Home Security Challenges
Care facilities have a wide range of people using the building.
Residents, carers, nurses, family members, contractors and other employees may need access to different areas at different times.
Security planning may need to cover:
- Controlled drug and medication storage
- Medication rooms and staff-only areas
- Large numbers of keys
- Residents’ cash, jewellery and personal possessions
- External doors and sensitive areas
- Identified ligature risks
- Emergency staff access
- Corridors, entrances and blind spots
- Unauthorised access
The right products depend on the building, its users and the risks identified by the care provider.
Access should be planned around who needs to enter each area, when access is required and how it is controlled.
Medication security is a key consideration for residential care facilities.
Authorised staff need efficient access to medicines, while storage arrangements must help prevent unauthorised access, theft, misuse and accidental access.
Controlled drugs have additional requirements.
CQC guidance in England states that Schedule 2 controlled drugs requiring safe custody must be stored securely in an appropriate controlled-drugs cupboard. Certain Schedule 3 controlled drugs, including buprenorphine and temazepam, are also subject to secure-storage requirements.
Where safe-custody requirements apply, cupboards must meet the relevant requirements of the Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973 in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has corresponding requirements under its 1973 regulations.
A general-purpose lockable cupboard should not automatically be treated as suitable controlled drug storage.
Consider:
- The category of medicines being stored
- Cabinet construction
- Physical security
- Locking system
- Installation location
- Authorised users
- Spare-key security
- Current and future capacity
Controlled drug cupboards should also be used specifically for their intended purpose. CQC guidance states that they should not be used to store items such as money or jewellery.
Thornhill Security can advise on secure cabinets and locking solutions based on how medication is managed within the facility.
The cabinet is only one part of medication security.
Medication-room and controlled drug keys also need appropriate control.
CQC guidance requires access to controlled drug cupboards to be restricted according to need. Spare keys should be securely stored, with decisions about authorised key holders incorporated into the care provider’s medicines policy.
Thornhill supplies key-management solutions including:
- Secure key cabinets
- Restricted key systems
- Mechanical key control
- Master key systems
- Separately controlled medication keys
- Restricted key duplication systems
- Defined staff access levels
Larger care homes may have many employees who need access to different areas.
A manager may require wider access than a housekeeping employee. Medication keys may need to be restricted to specifically authorised staff.
A structured key or master-key system can reflect these different responsibilities.
Where a ligature risk has been identified, door hardware can form part of the wider environmental safety strategy.
Thornhill Security supplies specialist anti-ligature locks and door handles designed for sensitive environments.
These products can reduce opportunities for material to be secured around or attached to fittings while remaining practical for residents and staff to use.
Emergency access needs to be considered when selecting specialist locking systems.
Some anti-ligature locking products include staff override features that can help provide access when a door has been obstructed or barricaded.
When reviewing door hardware, consider:
- Potential ligature points
- Ease of use
- Residents with limited grip or dexterity
- Staff access
- Emergency override requirements
- Anti-barricade requirements
- Durability
- Ease of cleaning
- Resistance to tampering
- Retrofitting existing door hardware
Anti-ligature hardware should be selected according to the risks identified within the environment.
Residents may keep jewellery, watches, cash, paperwork, electronic devices and sentimental possessions within their rooms or elsewhere in the facility.
Suitable secure storage can help protect these belongings while supporting residents’ independence.
The appropriate safe depends on the contents and how the facility manages access.
Options can include:
- Personal room safes
- Central safes
- Secure storage for documents and records
Thornhill Security supplies safes for cash, jewellery, documents, data and other valuables.
Consider:
- Value and type of contents
- Whether residents need independent access
- Installation location
- Key, combination or electronic locking
- Number of authorised users
- Burglary protection
- Fire protection requirements
Resident valuables and medication should have separate storage arrangements. Controlled drug cupboards should not be used for cash, jewellery or personal belongings.
Care facilities can have a large number of keys.
These may include keys for:
- Resident rooms
- Offices
- External entrances
- Medication storage
- Plant rooms
- Cleaning cupboards
- Filing cabinets
- Maintenance areas
- Secure stores
Poor key control can make access difficult to manage and increase the consequences of lost or misplaced keys.
Thornhill supplies:
- Master key systems
- Key cabinets
- Mechanical key-control products
- High-capacity key storage systems
- Restricted key systems
A master key system can allow individual keys to operate specific locks while authorised senior staff have wider access.
Restricted systems can also help control unauthorised key duplication.
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