About the facility
St Peter’s Primary Health Care Centre is a state-of-the art facility combining leisure and primary health care services under one roof in the heart of Burnley, Lancashire. It opened in 2006 at a cost of £29m and spans 20,000sq m over 10 floors. The health centre provides a unique range of services from one central location and includes three GP practices, community nurses, an onsite pharmacy, occupational therapy, out-of-hours GP services and a minor surgery unit. It was built with the intention of bringing community services together in one location, making cost savings while also bringing non-emergency services into the community and thus allowing already stretched hospitals to concentrate on emergency and specialist care. The Eric Wright Group, which constructed the building, also oversees the day-to-day management of the facility, with responsibility for all aspects of maintenance and security
The challenge
Due to the wide range of services housed at the centre, and the 24/7 access requirements, a robust but flexible security solution was required to protect patients, visitors and staff, as well as controlling entry to highly-sensitive areas and information.
Due to the increasingly complex needs of the centre, the primary care trust executive and facilities managers from Eric Wright Group recognised the need to replace the incumbent security system to better meet evolving requirements and to address a number of ongoing security issues. Together they specified a new, fully-integrated security system including access control and intrusion detection solutions.
Managers selected Black Box Security Alarm Systems based in Chorley as the installer for this project due in part to its established 25-year working relationship, but also due to the knowledge and expertise Black Box could bring to this sensitive and detailed project.
“The main challenge was integrating the new intruder and access control systems, while making the installation and maintenance process as smooth as possible,” said David Barnes of Black Box Security. “The site was an operational facility and we needed to maintain security at all times during the installation while minimising the disruption to the patients and services provided at the centre.”
The solution
After a full assessment of the complex requirements, and with the experience of having successfully delivered a number of other NHS projects with Eric Wright Group, Black Box specified a complete Honeywell integrated security solution because of the seamless integration of its WIN-PAK access control software with its Galaxy Dimension intruder alarm system and the flexibility, expansion options and reliability it could provide.
“Price isn’t always the driving factor in projects of this nature,” said Dawn Willis, NHS East Lancashire centre manager. “We needed to provide the centre with a reliable and trustworthy solution to ensure security could be maintained at the highest standard 24 hours a day while also having the capability and flexibility for cost-effective expansion in the future.”
By integrating WIN-PAK with Galaxy Dimension, Black Box was able to provide a single user interface to create a more robust platform with increased functionality than the previous solution. Functions that have traditionally been tied together through physical relays and input devices are now controlled logically, which directly addresses the need for differing levels of access and security across the facility. Full-scale system management of single or multiple areas is possible and resources can be moved, controlled or shared across multiple areas/groups from one system as required.
For this project the Honeywell WIN-PAK access control system includes 147 smart card proximity readers. Expandability is the most important feature of many access control systems, and this system is no different. The ability to expand the system is of upmost importance as the usage and requirements of the centre change and develop.
The benefits
With more than 5,000 people visiting the centre each week and more than 500 staff, it is imperative the security of people is well managed and the integrity of information is properly retained.
The large number of smart door readers installed across the site provides controlled access to many different areas. Access to non-public areas can be strictly controlled allowing access only to authorised personnel. This also ensures card holders who no longer require access to certain areas, or to the building, can have access revoked directly through the WIN-PAK system’s user interface. And it allows the restriction of access to public lifts only allowing visitors access to the appropriate floors.
Due to the 24/7 requirements of the centre, another major benefit is that the system allows total shutdown of certain areas at pre-determined times, allowing the necessary out-of-hours areas to function normally without compromising the security of the other services in the building. The system is easy to use and manage and allows complete control of people in the building at any given time, allowing real-time identification of security breaches and ensuring a safer more secure environment for all.
The integrated and flexible nature of the products allow for growth and expansion of the system as the centre’s needs evolve. It allows additional areas of the building to be opened to the public while maintaining the appropriate level of security throughout. WIN-PAK also integrates with CCTV systems to allow cost-effective future expansion should additional security be required.
Products specified
- 46 x NetAXS 4 door access controllers
- 1 x WIN-PAK SE Access Control system
- 147 x OmniproxTM smart card door readers
- 1 x Galaxy Dimension intruder detection system