Kent & Sussex Security Ltd.

Case Study: Hospital Installation Shows Healthy Respect for Privacy

Kent & Sussex Security Limited has installed a CCTV system comprising eight high-speed surveillance domes and three static cameras at Benenden Hospital in Kent. These are supported by three high-resolution 17 inch monitors.

The system has two main functions. It provides security for staff, many of whom are female nurses, as they move around the site at night-time. And it guards the property against burglary. This latter is a growing problem for sites such as Benenden Hospital because, now that there are so many CCTVs in built-up areas, burglars are increasingly targeting the countryside.

The site posed several design challenges. "The hospital occupies a 300 acre site in a rural setting," explains Alun Jones, the Health & Safety Advisor at Benenden Hospital. "It's open to the fields and is crossed by two public highways. There's a constant traffic of outsiders, as well as our own staff, in other words.

"And then there's the special nature of this and any other hospital. Our patients have every right to expect complete confidentiality. They undergo treatment in our wards and often spend all day and all night in them. They don't want cameras prying into their business.

"And so whilst security is very important, it's also absolutely essential that the CCTV system does nothing to compromise the privacy and dignity of the patients."

Kent & Sussex Security worked hard to ensure that the system was neither intrusive nor invasive. Although the dome cameras are capable of 360 degree rotation, and can be controlled either automatically or by joy-sticks, they are carefully sited so that they cannot overlook hospital wards or treatment rooms.

They are still able to achieve comprehensive coverage of the grounds, however, and operate down to very low light levels in order to provide enhanced security at night-time.