Simon Whitehorn

NAHS Winter Newsletter 2012

Letter from the Chairman - Peter Finch CPP AdCertED&CP NDipM FSyI FInstLM MCMI MIEM

Happy New Year and welcome to our first Newsletter of 2012

First, I'd like to thank everyone that assisted in bringing together the Conference in Birmingham in November last year.  It was a great success with almost 100 delegates and 10 traders.  The feedback from the delegates has been excellent and we are already planning for our Conference this year.  More of that later.

This year and the next 4 years or so will clearly be a considerable challenge as we all contribute to reducing the NHS budget by £20bn.  There will undoubtedly be compulsory redundancies, voluntary redundancies and mutually agreed redundancies across the board.  In such times of financial difficulty it is not unusual for pressure to be put onto security budgets and for standards to fall.  Equally, in times of recession there is plenty of evidence to suggest that crime increases.  It's essential then that we, as an Association, continue to work together to ensure that healthcare security is not denigrated.  Having spent over £2m on physical security measures at my Trust in the last 6 years there is no doubt in my mind that the best method of securing funding is by producing appropriate risk assessments, whether as an organisational risk assessment (an over view of the corporate risks), or by individual corporate or single issue risk assessments.   These, supported as appropriate by crime reduction audits, CCTV audits, analysis of incidents, changes in legislation/guidance provide the evidence needed to help secure funding for essential security management work.  

Several members have indicated that with tightening budgets it is becoming increasingly difficult to attend meetings away from their Trusts.  With this in mind the Executive is reviewing the Constitution and considering ways that would enable the Association to continue to function with maximum input from its members for the benefit of all.

Finally, a great deal of time and effort has been given to the continued development of the Associations' website by Simon Whitehorn and Nick Lee.  Simon gives more information further down in this Newsletter.  Please do take a look - it's there for your benefit.   I might add a plea here - if you have any NHS LA Level 2 or 3 approved security related policies (Security, Physical Security, Violence and Aggression, Lone Worker, Lockdown etc) do please let Simon have them so that they can be included in the web library.   Any other non-NHS LA related security policies and procedures would also be welcomed. To further assist members we will be creating a new section on the website library for risk assessments and again can I ask that you send recent examples of your own risk assessments to populate the library to help others from re-inventing the wheel.

I hope that you find the Newsletter useful.  If you have any ideas on how we could improve the Newsletter, website or the Association in general please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,

Peter

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For those of you who were unable to attend the Conference last year a brief summary of it and a picture of the information & freebies all attendees received is on the website http://www.nahs.org.uk/index.php/60-nahs-conference-2011 Please let us know what trade stands you would like to see at next years events, what topics we should find speakers to address for you and lastly where in the country you think we should hold the conference?

 Many of you will be aware that the 4th strand of the Govt’s CONTEST strategy known as the Prevent strand is focussed on reducing the risk of vulnerable people becoming radicalised.  The DH has published Strategy Guidance & a toolkit for Healthcare Workers here  http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_131911 and for Organisations and Managers here http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_131929

 Also related to CONTEST is Project Revise:

 Project REVISE is a free interactive simulation specifically designed for laboratory personnel to enhance learning and awareness relating to the misuse of hazardous chemicals in terrorist activity.

 The use of chemicals within industry and as ingredients in commercially available products is very widespread and extremely diverse. The dual use of these chemicals in the manufacture of home made explosives (HME) is well documented and there are numerous examples of attacks around the world perpetrated with improvised explosive devices incorporating hazardous materials.

One of the recommendations from the Lord West review of the United Kingdom’s counter terrorism strategy is to highlight the potential misuse of hazardous materials to those who legitimately and routinely use them, specifically mentioning the academic community. 

For more information if you think this may be appropriate for Laboratory staff in your Trusts you may wish to contact your local CTSA.

I’d like to welcome Bruce Irvine and colleagues in the Southern Hempishere, following discussions it’s been agreed by both the NAHS and the Australian & New Zealand chapter of the IAHSS  to promote networking between our organisations in the Bruce’s words : “We believe like all Healthcare Security professionals that we need to organise, educate and be recognised to move forward in providing ours and other organisations with the support and guidance that is needed to ensure provide safe work places within the healthcare environment. So I thank you on behalf of the IAHSS Australian & New Zealand Chapter and as the Regional Chair for this privilege or networking with your organisation.” 

http://www.iahss-au.com/

 For those of you employed on contract to Trusts or employing Contract Security Staff in your organisation, the latest SIA Updates can be found here.

http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Documents/sia-update/eUpdate-1112.htm

http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/sia-update/eUpdate-1201.htm

 One of the speakers at last years conference, Mike Bluestone discussed the Register of Chartered Security Professionals Their website and more information is available via the link for those of you interested in seeking Chartered status.

 http://www.csyp-register.org/

You will not have missed the news that reported assaults on NHS staff in England rose again last year, well, you might have if you looked at the NHS Protect news release http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/3489.aspx quickly, as it focussed on an increase in criminal sanctions for assaults on staff which is of course to be welcomed.  What is more pertinent to any of us trying to reduce violence & aggression is that according to NHS Protect 69% of assaults on NHS staff have a clinical causation. The NAHS has for a number of years been highlighting a lack of guidance on dealing with what are often relatively minor assaults committed by disorientated often elderly patients against staff trying to deliver care for whom criminal justice sanctions are wholly inappropriate.  For that reason the NAHS welcomes the fact that NHS Protect has initiated a piece of work to produce guidance around the prevention and management of incidents of violence/aggression where clinical condition is a factor.  The NAHS is pleased that a wide range of individuals and representatives of professional bodies have been invited to participate in drawing up this guidance and has 2 members taking part in this piece of work.  More information to follow as the guidance is developed and consulted on.  

 Website & Twitter Account

 Members who are on Twitter can access and retweet anything sent out from the #NAHS_UK twitter feed and send anything they think is relevant to the association account on Twitter or to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I'll send it out via twitter and incorporate in the newsletters and blog.  If members use the hash tag #nahs_uk on any of their personal tweets they will also show up on the website.  I'm also using the hashtag's #healthcaresecurity,  #healthcareviolence and #violencereduction as appropriate to make it easy to find tweets that fall into those categories. So far the association has sent over 200 tweets, is “following” 45 organisations & individuals and has 64 followers including organisations including the NMC & BSIA; companies such as G4S, Maybo, Honeywell Security, a number of official police force twitter accounts and individuals working in both healthcare and security.

 On the subject of social media people may have seen the recent publicity about a police officer being investigated for apparently disclosing operational matters in tweets.  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9022739/Police-officer-faces-disciplinary-action-for-tweeting.html  The association will shortly be posting a policy on the use of social media on the website  it will set out how we will use it as an organisation and provide guidance for members who use it in a personal capacity. 

 Academics from Kingston University are studying the positive impact of a hospital-based scheme aimed at keeping young victims away from gangs and knife crime in south-east London.  If you would like to find out more about the project which will be running until 2013 details can be found on Professional Security Magazine’s website http://www.professionalsecurity.co.uk/landing.html?NewsArticleID=17454&imgID=1

You will all be aware of the ongoing problems caused by the high price of Scrap Metal and rise in Scrap Metal thefts.  An article on the Daily Telegraph's website  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8949318/1000-metal-thefts-every-week-as-growing-menace-blights-Britain.html describes some of the issues and many of your facilities may well have been targeted either for the theft of roof flashings, electrical cables or medical gas bottles.

Peter has very kindly shared his Risk assessment template for buildings focussing on the risks related to metal thefts and it can be found on the members area of the website.  Use it and don’t end up appearing as the victim in a news release like this http://www.sussex.police.uk/news-and-events/news/2012/01/19/£50,000-worth-of-lead-stolen-from-worthing-roof/

A&E guidance from the Design Council

 Recently efforts to address violence in A&E Depts received national media attention and the Design Council document

is here: http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/Documents/Documents/OurWork/AandE/ReducingViolenceAndAggressionInAandE.pdf be warned if you are tempted to print it out its 156 pages long with lots of colours!!

While the work above is intended to reduce violence a proposal from a Govt advisor to fine Patients who miss GP appointments is unlikely to have the same effect!  http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=18546

HSE warns over duty of care to workers after social care body ordered to pay £44k

On the subject of violence in community settings, the Health and Safety Executive has issued a reminder to social care organisations of their duty to have proper management systems in place to control the risk of violence and aggression against their employees and agency workers. Details of the HSE’s findings can be read here: http://www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9095:hse-warns-over-duty-of-care-to-workers-after-social-care-body-ordered-to-pay-p44k&catid=1:latest-stories

and here directly from the HSE press release  http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/coi-ne-00812.htm#?eban=rss-press-release

 Whether you are an acute hospital trust, GP’s surgery, PCT, community hospital, Mental Health Trust, Private provider or Ambulance trust you are likely to have some staff who may visit people at home, if you do are your organisations system’s for keeping those staff safe sufficiently robust?

 For more General Info for Healthcare from the HSE website follow the link to their website

http://www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/

 A document by the Security Executive Council on the “9 practices of Successful Security Leaders” is available on their website here Its available for download as a pdf free of charge but you will have to do that for yourself!   https://www.securityexecutivecouncil.com/spotlight/?sid=26750

Unrelated to Healthcare but potentially of interest, the Home Office has issued consultation on regulations for the late night levy and early morning restriction orders (ERMO): Dealing with the Problems of the Late Night Drinking:

  http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/about-us/consultations/late-night-drinking/

EMRO - licensing authority power to restrict the sale of alcohol in the whole or a part of their areas between midnight and 6am.
Late Night Levy - licensing authority power to raise a contribution from late-opening (midnight to 06:00) alcohol retailers towards policing the late night economy. The consultation runs for 12 weeks from 17 January to 10 April 2012.

For those of you in organisations providing mental health services or for Acute sectors where Security officers perform quasi policing roles related to patients with mental health conditions, or anyone with an interest in policing and mental health you may wish to look at this website: http://mentalhealthcop.wordpress.com/about/ Those of you who attended The 2010 Conference heard the author of the website speak and its chock full of useful, informative, misconception busting information about Mental Health, policing and criminal justice. 

 Lastly for this newsletter:

One hospital in the US has enhanced its Police/Security function by buying its own Police Dog who is even equipped with it's own stab proof vest!   http://www.buffalonews.com/life/article393698.ece  Anyone in the UK thinking of adopting the same approach?

 The National Executive hope you have found this newsletter worthy of a quick read and for any feedback on the website or newsletter please send me an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 For membership enquiries please contact Lee Sweeney by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via the website.