NHS HOSPITALS: SECURITY (Hansard, 26 May 1993)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Cumberlege)

A full report and its recommendations were presented at a conference, sponsored jointly by the Department of Health, the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts, and the NHS Trust Federation, on 11th May. The key messages to emerge from both the report and the conference were that:

security is about the safety of patients and staff and the prevention of theft and other loss;

improved security is primarily a management issue and one for which managers at all levels should be held accountable;

in particular security is a key responsibility of senior management and not a subject which can be delegated without further thought to staff designated "security";

improved security does not necessarily require substantial new resources and can in fact release significant extra resources for patient care;

some units are already doing valuable work in this field and are implementing innovative solutions; elsewhere there is much that still needs to be done.

I wrote to the chairmen of all health authorities and trusts on 13th May bringing the report to their attention. A copy of the letter is available in the Library.

The letter emphasises that security is primarily a management issue. All managers should be held accountable for security in their area of responsibility. The board of directors has a key responsibility and must set the pace for their organisation as a whole. Each board should identify a member to take responsibility for security.

The NHS Management Executive has also written (EL(93)47, a copy of which is available in the Library) to all general managers and trust chief executives, outlining the key messages in the report and asked them to review their procedures for crime and loss prevention in the light of the review and to submit by 30th September 1993 a report on improvements made or planned.

A new NHS Security Advisory Group is being set up to promote a programme of security improvements and carry forward the recommendations of the consultants' report.

The Department has also co-sponsored with the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts a security video and an audio tape of interviews with the conference speakers.