Page 23 - the SyI Quarterly 13 - (V4)

Our Membership

My introduction outlined one of the recurring and legacy issues facing NHS security
management and I purposely made this our initial focus. I can see NHS colleagues
‘NHS Security Management bristle whenever I debate that violence and aggression should form only a very
limited (if any) slice of their responsibilities. Although substantial numbers of acts of
Unique Management Challenges - Unique violence and aggression are recorded annually, only a relatively small number relate
to deliberate acts against NHS staff, the majority are non-deliberate or medically
related. Barnsley Hospital recorded 13 incidents of deliberate and 154 incidents of
Opportunities - Unique Rewards’ non-deliberate physical assault during 2021/22. It begs the question of whether such
an important and impactive area on staff members lives would be better served by a
clinically trained mental health or safeguarding lead.

By Mike Lees CSyP FSyI & Lisa Corbridge MSyI The responsibility for violence and aggression, the training and related administration
only goes to dilute the effort and concentration we as security professionals should
have on what should be our core discipline. This also applies to health & safety, risk
management, car parking and other estates and facilities related functions. NHS
security management should be focused on that portfolio and that portfolio alone. As
a unit we addressed this by bonding our two portfolios into one, much as previously
business continuity, major incident response and recovery were bonded into EPRR
As I sit here writing this article I am acutely aware that my frontline, and not kept as disparate disciplines. Our key information and advice sources for all
uniform colleagues are supporting nursing staff to restrain a male our activities are CPNI and NCSC.
patient of 19 years who has acute mental health and physical
challenges. When they aren’t providing that essential support in The opportunities within NHS security management are many and include ensuring
ensuring our nurses and other patients are safe from harm they that our loyal and very hardworking uniform officers feel very much members of
are engaged on mind-numbing bed-watch duties sat outside the the Trust family. In this we encourage their professional development, issue regular
same patient’s cubicle in case he has a violent episode owing good work minutes and add lots of humour. A recent security call-out involved
to a rare form of epilepsy he has suffered since infancy. These Officers Jonas and Paul rescuing members of staff and a department from a burgling,
particular duties of our frontline colleagues and our responsibilities marauding squirrel that had gained access via an open window. It goes without
as healthcare security managers are just one core segment of saying that the accompanying body worn video was hilarious and we designed
a complex and richly diverse sector of public protection. As the a certificate and arranged a special presentation ceremony for the officers. As
intention is to return to the thorny issues relating to NHS violence members of the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals, Lisa and I have
and aggression please accept my disclaimer that the opinions both been granted Freedom of the City of London and last month allowed to drive
voiced in this article are mine alone and not the views of Barnsley sheep across London Bridge, not every day you can do that. Via the Company and
Hospital, G4S Secure Solutions or the wider NHS. the Security Benevolent Fund we can also provide practical support to our uniform

The modern-day UK National Health Service has always faced a legion of challenges and currently colleagues if it is required.
these are increasing day by day. It is a misconception that the NHS is one national entity; in reality it The rewards primarily come in the form of keeping our staff and patients safe
is over four-hundred individual, regional and national organisations alongside several thousand GP
surgeries. The NHS is the fifth largest employer in the world and its organisational spectrum ranges and secure. It comes down to ‘just doing a good job’. However, the NHS promotes
from huge trauma centre acute hospitals to local cottage hospitals and large, secure mental health initiatives which as a unit we still enjoy pushing new boundaries. This creativity
establishments to small, allied health contractors. With some 1.3 million staff employed and a planned allowance has allowed innovative use of body worn video by both security officers
and clinical staff, therapy dog visits to the team, training as drone pilots, surveillance
expenditure of £172bn the security challenges soon become obvious. We manage a small security camera certification, our ‘hospital eyes’ programme and a number of forthcoming
unit within Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and contracted uniform officers (total staffing
13), whilst the hospital serves a population of some 250,000, with circa 350 patient beds and built initiatives to support our vulnerable women agenda. We have been privileged to be
in 1970’s, so not the most modern building in the world. The Trust employs 3,500 staff and provides acknowledged as finalists and awardees by The Security Institute, NAHS, IFSEC Global,
emergency, intensive, medical and surgical care, care of the elderly, paediatric and maternity services Women in Security, Business Continuity Institute and Suzy Lamplugh Trust.
alongside the vital diagnostic and clinical support. The hospital has recently opened a community Finally, hospitals are places of high emotion, bubbles just waiting to burst, it is rare
diagnostic care centre (CDC), the first of its kind in a town centre location providing x-ray and
phlebotomy services. This initiative is proving hugely successful with service users and is no doubt the that anyone walks across our threshold for a positive reason. Babies are born in
way forward in community patient care. Not wishing to continue like an M&S advert, the hospital site hospital (some 250 in one month alone), tragically patients die whilst with us and
also has two large pharmacies, pathology laboratories, nuclear material, children’s wards, a dialysis life changing diagnoses are shared within our confines. The role of NHS security
management is to maintain that delicate balance between patient care and welfare,
unit and large public mortuary. The latter facility has occupied our team in security enhancements coupled with the pragmatic security of all staff, attendees, equipment and buildings.
over recent months due to extremely serious criminal offences committed at mortuaries in Kent.
The challenges in that role will be ever present.

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