In Birmingham, CLIQ makes medicine management more efficient
Challenge
Complicated key management systems can detrimentally affect the efficiency of nursing care. Staff using older mechanical key systems struggle to keep track of who has the keys, and searching for that person to gain access to controlled drugs can waste a substantial part of a nurse’s valuable time. Any unauthorized access to drug stores can have serious financial and safety implications.
Pharmacy managers at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, sought a 21st-century solution.
Requirements included:
- Control suited to medicine management, ensuring nurses have quick and convenient access to secure drugs
- The ability to generate audit trails, so pharmacists and nurse managers can generate a report detailing who has accessed particular cabinets or drug trolleys at any time
- Reliable access control that is already proven in diverse settings in the healthcare sector
- An efficient solution that would save nurses’ time, freeing
Solution
The solution for Queen Elizabeth Hospital was the PROTEC² CLIQ mechatronic locking system, a technology already deployed elsewhere in the NHS, including in the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust. PROTEC² CLIQ is an easy-to-use access managment system based on high-security mechanical disc cylinders combined with encrypted electronic locking and identification.
Power to the cylinder is supplied by a standard battery inside every CLIQ key, so no wires are required — making it an ideal retrofit solution for doors, cabinets and even mobile drug trolleys. The system allows for remote key management. Comprehensive audit trails for locks and padlocks are available on demand. It’s easy to remove access permissions from lost or stolen keys using the admin software. All these features combine to substantially increase the security of controlled drugs.
“Efficiency is also increased,” explains Aaron Ballard Ridley, Security Specialist – Healthcare at Abloy UK. “As each nurse has access to their own key with personalised access rights, they don’t have to waste time looking for who has the key to a particular cupboard.” “For us, the key return on investment is the quality of service we’re providing,” adds Inderjit Singh.