30 Nov 2015
Traka, the key and asset management specialist, has helped improve the safety and accountability of the drugs issuing process at Brighton and Sussex NHS Trust, by installing its key management solutions.
Previously, keys to drugs lockers were issued
manually, with one member of staff acting as
a steward. However, this led to human error,
difficulties in locating the keys and additional
administration duties for busy ward staff. Despite
the thorough manual processes in place and
the majority of staff remaining vigilant, stock
discrepancies did occur, through error and in some
cases theft.
This had serious Health and Safety, security and
cost implications, which led the hospital to
purchase a Traka key management system. The
keys to the drug lockers are now stored within the
intelligent key cabinet. Through the ward staff’s
existing credentials, only authorised personnel are
able to access the cabinet. Further to that, the keys
inside the system are locked in place by Traka’s
secure iFobs, which means a hierarchy of access
rights can be given to each key, depending on the
strength or skill of administrating each drug. So
within the cabinet, only certain keys will
be available depending on the pre-determined
access rights.
To maximise the security of the system, the Traka
key cabinet has been programmed so that two
members of staff need to swipe their credential
to take and to return a key to the system. This
creates greater accountability and encourages best
practice amongst ward staff.
Simon Whitehorn, Head of Security for Brighton
and Sussex NHS Trust said: “The Traka system has
made a massive difference to the drugs dispensing
process on the wards. From a health and safety
perspective, we can have greater confidence
that drugs do not get into the wrong hands, or
that untrained workers can not get hold of drugs
they are not authorised to administer. From the
ward staff’s point of view, it has taken away timely
administration tasks, and the frustrations of
trying to locate keys when a patient is in need of
medication”.
“Accountability is also a major part of the benefits
for us. Since installation, the frequency of stock
discrepancies has been dramatically reduced.
However, when there are questions raised, the
reporting functionality that the system offers, lets
us know who has accessed what key and when, so
we can track down the individual responsible and
find out more.”
Brighton and Sussex NHS Trust has also installed a
Traka system to manage access in and around the
estates. Two large key cabinets are situated outside
the security office, so authorised personnel who
have access to sensitive areas of the hospital can
easily retrieve the keys they are allowed to use.