Contents
1 Aim
The aim of this document is to outline appropriate procedures for all staff working in the forensic service, based upon the “see, think, act” principles, offering set standards which meet the additional guidance on the national minimum standards for general adult services in psychiatric intensive care units (PICU), low secure environments (Department of Health, 2002) and forensic quality network for forensic mental health services standards for low secure services (June 2012). To develop a culture that recognises the importance of security and to support the delivery of a safe therapeutic environment.
2 Scope
This procedural document applies specifically to the forensic service and provides procedural guidance for use by inpatient services in this specific setting.
3 Link to overarching policy, and or procedure
This procedure is overarched by the forensic services manual.
4 Responsibilities, accountabilities and duties
4.1 Shift co-ordinator
The shift co-ordinator is responsible for nominating a security officer from staff on the shift rota and informing them of their role. The shift co-ordinator will confirm that the security officer understands the duties of the role.
All documentation is to be verified by the shift co-ordinator on duty.
4.2 Security officer
The overall responsibility of the security officer is to check that all necessary security procedures have taken place and all the necessary paperwork is filled out correctly. The security officer must advise the shift co-ordinator immediately regarding any breaches in security.
The security team members will attend the appropriate meetings and take the lead on security forums and audits.
4.2 All staff
All staff must adhere to the guidance in this document and are responsible for ensuring standards are met and implemented. Failure by any staff to follow this security guidance can lead to disciplinary process, due to the implications that may arise if any relational, physical or procedural security measures are breached. All staff must attend the mandatory enhanced security training on an annual basis.
5 Procedure or implementation
Within the service there are specific security procedures which must be adhered to on a daily basis. All staff are responsible for the security and safety of all patients, visitors and the environment.
- At the beginning of a shift one staff member will be identified by the shift co-ordinator to undertake the role of nominated security officer. Both staff nurses and support workers can fulfil this role.
- At commencement and end of the shift the care co-ordinator will complete a visual check of all patients and sign the security sheet to indicate all patients are accounted for. This task cannot be delegated to a support worker it must be the shift co-ordinator for that shift.
- The shift co-ordinator is responsible for completing a check of the safe and its contents and recording the check on the security documentation. This is to be completed with the shift co-ordinator attending for the next shift. This may be delegated to a support worker to complete the safe check as the shift co-ordinator retains the responsibility for the delegated checks.
- The security officer must complete all routine security checks as follows:
- room alarm schedule
- environmental checklist
- cutlery security items
- razor checklist
- Amber Lodge keys, bleeps and personal alarm check
- staff signing in or out sheet
- complete general observations as per the supportive therapeutic observation policy
- Amber Lodge razor and nail clipper checklist, daily and weekly and signing in or out
- Amber Lodge grey cabinet checklist
- safe checklists
- The security officer will be required to sign the security check sheet on completion of all security checks. The security officer is accountable to the shift co-ordinator for these duties.
- The security officer is not to be given escorting duties and is to remain on the ward, other than during their break.
5.1 Amber Lodge low secure, perimeter fence check
The security officer and shift co-ordinator must adhere to the following:
- the security officers from both shifts (current and oncoming) must together carry out a check of the external perimeter fence and surrounding area during the security handover
- the perimeter check is to be carried out once daily during the afternoon handover
- report to the shift co-ordinator any concerns regarding the integrity of the perimeter fence, the surrounding area or the windows and doors
- the shift co-ordinator will clearly document areas of concern and share the relevant information with the staff to maintain safety on the ward. Any safety or security issues will be escalated to the sister or senior sister or ward manager or matron or on-call manager in person or over the telephone
5.2. Security personal alarms or keys or pagers or alarm cancellers
- Keys will be checked 3 times daily by the security officer.
- Pagers or alarms or alarm cancellers will be checked 2 times daily by the security officer.
- Any missing security personal alarms or keys or pagers or alarm cancellers must be reported to the shift co-ordinator immediately.
- The shift co-ordinator will contact the last person to have signed out the missing item to see if they have taken it away with them.
- Following this, if the item is not located, a search of the ward must be carried out.
- If unable to locate the item, the shift co-ordinator is to report any missing personal alarms or keys or pagers or alarm cancellers to the sister or senior sister or ward manager.
- If the missing item which cannot be located is a set of keys, this must be reported on the incident reporting system (IR1).
5.3 Daily security alarm checks and sensors
- Staff must check the battery on their personal alarm when commencing shift and sign on the signing in or out sheet to confirm that the battery is working.
- Any problems with alarms must be reported to estates as a matter of urgency.
- Each day the security officer will conduct a sensor test of an alarm to confirm the system is functional and identify any faulty sensors, alarms of pagers. The security team are to pre-plan this testing in the ward diary for the unit and sensors in all rooms must be tested regularly.
- Any test undertaken must be recorded in the daily alarm check documentation.
5.4. Staff signing in and out
- Personal alarms are available to all staff and visitors and are situated in the Amber Lodge airlock in a key coded cupboard.
- Pagers, alerting staff to respond to incidents in specific areas, are kept in the key coded room opposite the admin office door at Amber Lodge.
- Staff should ensure that they follow the current procedure when accessing keys from the key tracker system, see the accessing keys from the key tracker system forensic service procedure.
- Staff members authorised by the senior sister or ward manager to have access to a set of keys will remove them from the electronic key tracker system at either Amber Lodge. The key tracker system is located in the key coded room opposite the admin office door at Amber Lodge.
- Staff are expected to collect or hand in keys or pagers or personal alarms and alarm cancellers each time they enter or leave the building.
- Keys are to be attached to a lanyard, stored in a belt pouch at all times, and retained upon the person whilst on the units. Random checks will be carried out on staff by the security team, to audit compliance.
- Staff signing in and out sheets are kept alongside the key tracker system at Amber Lodge.
5.5 Visitors, contractors and maintenance workers signing in and out sheet
All visitors, contractors or estates staff etc. should:
- be given access via the airlock to each building
- be requested to sign the visitor’s sheet held in the airlock at Amber Lodge upon entering and exiting the building
- be asked to read the prohibited and restricted items lists and to sign to confirm they do not have any listed items upon their person
- be requested to lock personal belongings in the lockers provided in the airlock
- be issued with a personal security alarm
- report to the shift co-ordinator, all contractors and maintenance workers should be supervised by nursing staff
Arrangements for safe use of tools must be agreed with the shift co-ordinator and logged whilst in the airlock, prior to access being given to the unit.
Any items brought onto the unit for patients will be checked by the shift coordinator in the airlock, and with the visitors present, prior to the visit taking place.
5.6 Restricted items
Any restricted items will not be allowed to be given to the patient during the visit; visitors will be given a rationale as to why this is not possible. Any problems that staff encounter in carrying out this requirement must be reported to the sister or senior sister or ward manager who will advise on further action.
Should any staff member have any concerns regarding any items being brought onto the unit they must, in the first instance, report this to the shift coordinator or sister or senior sister or ward manager for further support or guidance.
5.7 Razor and nail clipper checklist
- The patient’s individual risk assessment, multi-disciplinary team discussion and care plan will advise staff on the level of supervision the patient requires whilst they are shaving and, or using nail clippers. This is to be discussed and agreed with the patient’s named nurse and the patient and recorded within the care plan.
- Staff will be responsible for monitoring the use of patient’s razors or nail clippers and for signing them out and in on the check sheet inside the security cupboard.
- The security officer will check at handover to make sure that all razors and nail clippers are accounted for and will sign the security booklet.
Staff will record on the monitoring sheet when disposable razors are placed in the sharps bin.
Document control
- Version: 2.3.
- Unique reference number: 536.
- Approved by: Clinical policies review and approval group.
- Date approved: 6 December 2022.
- Name of originator or author: Forensic ward manager and social worker.
- Name of responsible individual: Executive director of nursing and allied health professionals.
- Date issued: 13 April 2023.
- Review date: 30 April 2024.
- Target audience: All staff working in forensic service.
- Description of change: Minor amendment, correction to the review date approved 21 April (originally with 12 month review), this was amended to a 3 year review so corrected to April 2024.
Page last reviewed: April 24, 2024
Next review due: April 24, 2025