Protecting Australia's healthcare institutions

The past 18 months have significantly impacted the healthcare security industry. Security personnel are playing a bigger role in hospitals, whether it be supporting contact tracing efforts, streamlining entry and exit points with effective crowd control, or acting as an ambassador of the hospital they are serving. And while some challenges faced today were present pre-pandemic, others have been exacerbated due to the pandemic.

Here are the top three considerations in protecting Australia’s healthcare institutions:

1. Finding the right security guard talent is difficult

Security personnel in the healthcare space need strong customer service skills and deep empathy. The responsibilities of the role require enhanced interpersonal abilities to safely handle any situation, including a patient or emotionally charged relative. Guards must be ready for anything at a moment’s notice while being mindful to help members of the public who are in need. Organisations like Certis work with hospital HR teams to understand the values and behaviours they expect, and use their own direct recruiting teams to source the right type of person to represent them.

2. Security guards need a high level of training

In the healthcare sector, the skills needed by security guards require comprehensive training. Personnel need to be adept at handling situations while following protocol to prevent any risk or liability to a healthcare provider. For every individual security member, there also needs to be consistency in performance and decision-making, assuring each choice they make is compliant with the hospital’s regulations and state-by-state legislation. Specific training for the healthcare sector can be further established to create a qualification basis such as certificate III in Healthcare Physical Security, and potentially supported by a Certis Registered Training Organisation.

3. Technology will augment security personnel decision-making

The best security guards can identify risk before it becomes an issue. However, this is often at the discretion of the individual security member. Technology like analytics can enhance security personnel by providing situational awareness, notifying them of potential issues to address before they escalate. In the hospital environment, situational awareness will lead to improved decisions by security personnel, delivering better outcomes that can protect and save lives.

Healthcare providers and security personnel alike want to see better solutions and superior-quality security guards in place to deliver safer outcomes. As the pandemic continues, the security team equipped with the right talent, training and technology will be crucial to the future of healthcare security.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/starlineart