Healthcare Security
13 March 2011
Increases in violent crimes in Canadian hospitals necessitates specialized security programs
Canadian hospitals are experiencing new and unique challenges to their Security and Life Safety departments. A new survey of healthcare security executives by the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety (IAHSS) reveals increases in reported violent crimes in hospitals in 2009 compared to similar crimes reported in a survey five years ago.
The typical hospital environment is already a challenge from a security perspective. Today’s hospitals may include mixed sensitive care environments such as Mental Health, Infant/Child Care, and Emergency Care. Each area of the hospital has its own unique security requirements. In addition, hospitals are public facilities servicing vastly different demographics of people. Security personnel must balance security concerns with customer service. G4S has recognized these unique challenges and in consultation with our numerous healthcare customers, has created an industry leading healthcare security program.
Two hospitals in Ontario currently using the Tier 3 Elite Protection Division service are Lakeridge Health and the Kingston Hospitals.
“We are implementing the service here effective April,” says Rocky Prosser, Director of Emergency Management, Security & Life Safety with Kingston General, Providence Care, Hotel Dieu Hospitals in Kingston, Ont. “The reason I went with this service is due to the content of their training for Elite Protection Officers, which far outweighs anything I have yet to see in the security industry. This is a level of training that should be a standard of practice for any organization where there is a high public interaction with security or is a risk for violence/violent behavior.”
G4S has created a three tiered Patient Care Program that can be used to address any hospital’s manned security needs.
Tier 1 Patient Care Specialist : Can be deployed across a broad spectrum of basic patient care environments and has a minimum of 40 hours of training specifically geared to the constant observation role.
Tier 2 G4S Healthcare Professional : These security personnel have completed the minimum 40 hours of training that the Patient Care Specialist has completed. They then undergo an additional 32 hours of classroom training and achieve professional designations through the International Association of Healthcare Security & Safety (IAHSS) that will prepare them for the specialization that is required in today’s evolving healthcare environments.
Tier 3 G4S Elite Protection Division (EPD) : These security personnel carry one of two designations: Elite Protection Professional or Elite Protection Officer Healthcare specialization. They have completed the 72 hours of training that the G4S Healthcare Professional has completed as well as an additional 24 hours of security and healthcare specific training. Members of the G4S EPD can be deployed in any environment within Canadian hospitals.
Contact details
Media Enquiries
About G4S
G4S Secure Solutions (Canada) Ltd., a division of G4S plc, is a leading provider of security solutions in Canada. With 26 offices, and approximately 8,000 employees across the country, G4S offers a unique combination of security personnel, risk assessments, and security technology to provide companies with customized security solutions uniquely tailored to meet their needs. For more information visit
www.g4s.ca
G4S plc is the world's leading security solutions group, which specializes in outsourcing of business processes in sectors where security and safety risks are considered a strategic threat. G4S is the largest employer quoted on the London Stock Exchange and has an additional stock exchange listing in Copenhagen. G4S has operations in more than 120 countries and more than 625,000 employees. For more information on G4S, visit
www.g4s.com
.