Safety First For Young Mental Health Patients

A national centre of excellence for children and young people with mental health needs has been secured by a comprehensive security system from Idis.

The £7 million refurbishment of Austen House, a 14-bed forensic hospital in Hampshire run by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, prioritised keeping both staff and patients safe from harm, given their specialised needs.

As the sole specialist National Health Service (NHS) unit of its kind in southern England, its refurbishment means vulnerable young people and their families no longer have to travel hundreds of miles to receive vital support.

Video surveillance was key to allow incidents to be investigated and care practices to be monitored and improved. The solution had to cover all social and communal areas with no blind spots, be easy for non-specialist staff to use, and would have to comply with NHS cybersecurity requirements.

Specialist security systems integrator ISD Tech selected Idis technology as the best value and most robust solution, and one that would be the quickest and least disruptive to install.

Working with main contractor Kier Construction, ISD Tech and Idis replaced an outdated security setup with an affordable cybersecure system which is easy to operate and maintain.

It allows caregivers a complete overview of all internal and external communal areas at Austen House, including education facilities, music and sensory spaces, a gym and an art studio, as well as higher-risk isolation rooms.

The enhanced video coverage improves both standards of care and accountability. It provides a complete record of events at the facility, making it easy for incidents to be investigated and video evidence to be provided, should it be required.

Almost 100 Idis 12MP Super Fisheye cameras, plus a mix of 5MP bullet and PTZ cameras, connected to 32-channel NVRs guarantee evidential-standard video coverage with a 360º view of all communal areas, a choice of 6 view modes and the ability to dewarp footage after the event.

The 5MP bullet and PTZ cameras provide 24-hour coverage of the multi-use games area, gardens, car parks and perimeter.  Built-in IR enables night-time image capture at distances of up to 30m, and the cameras enable intelligent functions such as active tampering alarms, motion detection, auto-tracking, and trip zones.

All the Idis cameras benefit from true DirectIP plug-and-play set-up, which allowed the ISD Tech engineers to complete their work ahead of schedule.  The ‘one-click’ set-up is faster and eliminates the cybersecurity risks associated with manual password entry.  IDIS Smart Failover protection ensures 24/7 continued recording, even during network instability or drop-out.  And, crucially, the Trust can link the new system to its local area networks without increasing the risk of hacking, thanks to Idis’s use of proprietary software, which is inherently cybersecure.

“Our upgraded Idis video solution makes it easy for our clinical teams to review incidents quickly and work with external investigators whenever required,” said Tracey Edwards, Head of Security at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.  “It’s not just an important tool for improving patient care, it allows us to maintain full public confidence and accountability.”

Nicky Stokes, Managing Director of ISD Tech, commented: “We were impressed by the consultative approach of Idis right from the initial design and planning, through installation to commissioning, and the ongoing support that they provide both to ISD Tech and the Trust. Idis technology even helped speed up the installation so that we could deliver the project ahead of time.”

Idis Europe Sales Director Jamie Barnfield added: “This is the 4th major project that Idis has completed for Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, and it is part of one of the biggest refurbishments of its kind ever undertaken in the NHS.  Not only is our video tech enhancing safety and security for patients and staff, it also supports clinical care and rehabilitation, which benefits the most vulnerable members of our community.”