HSA beefs up security in face of crime
Gate to left of General Practice at the Cayman Islands Hospital
(CNS): In response to several security breaches and a need to improve safety, the Health Services Authority is in the process of finalising a $150,000 upgrade to its security system, comprising gates, swipe cards or fobs for staff and 54 CCTVs throughout the hospital compound that will be monitored 24/7. The upgrade was prompted by car break-ins, attempted access to restricted areas, burglaries at the pharmacy, attempts to steal the ATM and Digicel machines, and general vandalism, the hospital management said.
All of these measures are expected to be in full effect by the end of March, according to HSA CEO Lizzette Yearwood.
The completion marks the end of a process that began in 2012 in which the first CCTV cameras were installed. By December 2014, the last of the cameras were put in place. The installation of perimeter fencing and use of swipe cards and fobs signal the final part of the security overhaul.
As well as the incidences of theft and vandalism, there were a few times when mental-health patients were found in the Accident and Emergency area carrying some form of blade, which were confiscated without incident, Yearwood said.
She claimed the increased security will help avoid any repeats of those kinds of episodes. “The lockdown of the perimeter will better control access to the hospital.”
Certain staff-only doors will be locked during the day and require fobs to access. Each fob will be numbered and attached to a specific staff member, and information on time and place of use will be recorded.
Gate to left of Dental Clinic at the Cayman Islands Hospital
In general terms, the complete system is being implemented to ensure the safety of staff and patients 24/7, continued protection of equipment and confidential information, and crowd or situation control, as needed. she said.
“The safety of our patients, visitors and staff is of the utmost importance to us at the Health Services Authority,” Yearwood said. “We are confident that these measures will mitigate criminal activity in addition to allowing us the ability to be proactive in our response to security breaches, thus addressing such issues before they escalate.”
The CCTV system, which is monitored by security and a nursing supervisor, proved its worth earlier this year, as someone attempting to break into the pharmacy in January was caught on camera; the hospital then worked with police to identify the offender, leading to an arrest, Yearwood said.
The most obvious changes are the security gates, with two already installed, one to the left of the General Practice Clinic and one to the left of the dental area. Yearwood expects two sliding entrance and exit gates also will be active by the end of March.
The gate by Pines Drive will allow one-way access to the rear staff parking lot and will require a fob. This entrance will also have a pedestrian turnstile gate. Similar vehicular and pedestrian access is being installed on the Windsor Park side of the facility. Once the gates are operational, the HSA will set specific opening and closing times, with that schedule still to be decided. Signs will be posted to detail usage instructions.
As before, if the general public needs to get into the hospital after 8pm, when visiting hours are over, access will be through the A&E.
There are no plans to enhance security any further, Yearwood said. “We will continuously monitor the security system to see if we will need to expand it in the future.”
Category: Health, Medical Health
Really wish HSA would put some money in to enlarging / improving the pharmacy. The waiting area is not much larger than a normal sized bedroom, yet I’ve seen over two dozen people crammed in there. We should not need a consultants report to tell us this is a health hazard! And don’t even talk about the ever changing and overly-complex systems to order / collect medications.
The hospital has many ills, as does every other hospital including the USA and Jamaica hospitals many of us have cause to use……..
Wait times at some of them can also be hours!! As much as 4 hours sometimes….
After all emergencies do happen; staff do get sick too (their human like us) but overall I know fr the care and professionalism my family and I receive that the doctors and staff do care and try to do their best.
My angst though is the H. R Mgr needs be Caymanian so those Caymanians who are qualified and unemployed can find work because in truth I sometimes feel I’ve tranferred to another island when need to attend there or visiting sick family and friends.
Here’s a prime example of why we need Vo-Tech and need to have those subjects taught in Junior High so by the time they finish High School they also had work experience and ready to take up some of those jobs!!
Case-n-Point:- Was at the hospital for appt a few months ago and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out quickly that the attendant wasn’t Caymanian. Her dialect spoke plainly from whence she hailed.
And so whilst her paperwork may have qualified her for position it was plain as ABC that she was being trained by the one Caymanian and so it begs the question:- Why isn’t a Caymanian being trained?
Then I’ve answered that for myself:- Check where the H.R. Mgr and the attendant comes from? Yup……taking care of their own and that’s how we need to play too.
When we have positions where we can help influence the hiring practices we should step up and be heard and push for our own to be hired.
Where we meet a brick wall; push back because where else are Caymanians supposed to be “entitled”? UK? Canada? USA? Jamaica? Phillipines? Honduras? Eastern Carribean? Sth America? Asia?
This “our” little rock and we best ensure that the trickle down effects of the economy don’t stop at bottom tier of rich but is felt to bottom tier of poor!
When we have positions that can influence and guide decisons we need ensure that contracts are indeed shared and not monopolised by a particular company.
I will pray for all of them; and pray too that we will stand up for ourselves and be counted.
God bless
I would not compare wait times at GT Hospital to other public hospitals in Jamaica & the USA. Look at their population to ours?? I’ve been to the hospital at 3am with two other ppl yet I still ended up there for hours to treat a common cold. I don’t care what you say the service and wait time are atrocious.
In the “good old days,” people went to the hospital for things as simple as the common cold. But this is part of the reason why medical costs were, and still are, unsustainable.
Believe me, while you may be getting the service for “free,” you’re paying for it at the gas pumps, CUC, etc, and you’re paying with your time. It’s cheaper and easier to just go buy yourself some cold meds.
About time…… cause every jack and his buddy or begging friend had free reign up there……….For God’s sake the lil mnions we have here who don’t want to work but got time join a gang even try to steal the ATM and so dear friends the days of “trust and innocence” are gone long ago from hospital (murder committed there) and ORIA where a known gang leader with troop was seen walking thru airport all decked in black and not a darn thing was done or at the least I didn’t hearof any measures put in place.! So yeah about time!! As for comment that doctors do nothing all day how would you know unless you work there? And in that case you need do a log and turn it in anonomously of course so he can find a freebie somewhere else.cause in reality you’re a part of the problem or a part of the soluution. However I can truly say they’ve been very professional to me; they cared for me with wonderful bedside manners, answered my questions and gave me info to read. I can’t complain about the service. My only recommedation is to find a new location for mental health and counselling as that would free up a lot of space for other services and to expand the ones offered
Welcome to 2015 everyone! As we begin a New Year, it’s important to take time to reflect on what went well and what didn’t during the last 12 months. As the saying goes…“those that don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it”…
You have a clean slate, what will you do with it? As I looked back at 2014, I thought I’d compile our Top 18 list of the biggest issues that our Ambulance Medical Services faced during the year; the things that got their service into trouble or that prevented them from getting ahead.
18. Lack of respect between definitive care personnel and pre-hospital providers.
17. Not taking EMS seriously, not recognizing or refusing to recognize problems with self development.
16. Failure to have a plan that goes past next Thursday night’s schedule
15. An US vs. THEM attitude between leaders and staff or between paid and volunteer personnel
14. Lack of a consistent marketing / PR / image management mindset at all levels of the agency
13. No formal leadership development program
12. Poor relationships with community leaders
11. Inconsistent funding and a lack of knowledge about revenue sources
10. Significant staffing / response issues
9. Poor staff participation and morale that sucks
8. Not understanding and communicating with the 8 customer groups you serve
7. Refusal to embrace change
6. Low Reimbursement rates & financial overload on EMS
5. Severe manpower shortage (Recruitment & Retention)
4. Overregulation & overloading EMS
3. Lack of awareness by our politicians and governments
2. Low EMS staff pay and benefits (or lack thereof)
1. EMS technology outpacing our ability to provide consistant care
Be safe out there and remember that EMS is NOT just a business.
Auditor General Alastair Swarbrick plans to investigate the circurnstances surrounding the Cayman Islands Medical Sevices Issues soon.
The HSA has the most patients of any hospital in Cayman so expect that wait times may be a bit long at times. But the doctors, nurses and other staff do their best, I think and I’ve found them to be courteous and helpful. They all need our daily prayers for protection, wisdom and good stamina for their many responsibilities and decisions.
Hmmm? Wonder which security firm got this Gov’t contract? Bet no surprises there!!
yah you know it, rub a dub dub, me and my buddies in the tub. FOI please.
That posted above is more literal then implied. Marl road rumour? There is something fishy about all of the Cctv and contracts going in one direction.
Staff should be monitored also, especially the nurses who date inmates and give them contraband to smuggle into the prisons whenever they go for a hospital visit! You know hwo you are…
I wonder who made all the money for all this security????
Work on improving your service while at it and answering the phone would be a start not to mention the wait time to see a doctor who is doing nothing at all.
Spend all this money on improving security when the service sucks!!! I’ve been calling the hospital for 3 weeks for a total of 46 calls, 5 messages left and 2 emails sent and not one of their futile workers have responded to me. Anyone who is in need of medical attention go overseas!! I would not recommend this hospital to my enemy.
In that case why not just call at the hospital. 46 phone calls, 5 messages and 2 emails must have cost you a lot in time. So get over the issue and do something positive.
What if he is disabled?
Since you sent 2 emails, means you have a contact name; publish those 2 emails and I will believe your story..
I would gladly post names but CNS would not publish. I’ve called names before and CNS did not post my comment. I don’t know why anyone would find this hard to believe. This shit happens at every government department.
Good idea
My favorite employee is the woman who sits at the front window in the Emergency Room….rude is #1….this is what we are paying employees to be rude to people who come to the emergency room???? Start here Mr. Manderson
HSA employees are not subject to discipline by Mr Manderson.