Sites
Readers
Cardholders
The situation
This District General Hospital employs more than 3,400 staff and provides approximately 774 beds, delivering a comprehensive range of inpatient, outpatient, and day-case services. As part of the wider Health Board, which serves a population of over 600,000 people, the hospital plays a critical role in supporting specialist and inpatient services across the entire catchment area, while also providing essential outpatient care for Newport and the surrounding communities.
In recent years, the hospital has undergone a significant redevelopment programme aimed at modernising facilities. This investment included the construction of a new Cardiology Unit, Medical Day Case Unit, Medical Admissions Unit, and Paediatric A&E department, alongside the complete refurbishment of outpatient facilities and the development of a £5 million Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology Unit.
Against this backdrop of expansion and modernisation, the hospital’s existing access control system was no longer capable of meeting operational requirements, lacking the flexibility needed to support the organisation’s evolving infrastructure across multiple sites. As a result, the Health Board required a cost-effective and future-proof access control solution capable of being deployed seamlessly across five sites.
Project Requirements
- Centralise access control across five sites within a single, manageable system.
- Introduce modern smartcard technology to improve security and provide a single credential for multiple applications.
- Integrate with existing systems, including the hospital’s HR database, fire system and CCTV.
- Migrate more than 12,000 existing users efficiently while minimising disruption to hospital operations.
- Provide a cost-effective, long-term solution capable of evolving alongside the hospital’s ongoing redevelopment programme.
The solution
Following a comprehensive selection process, a Sensor Access, GuardPoint Pro access control System was selected to meet the Trust’s operational, security, and long-term expansion requirements.
The system supported integrations with existing systems including fire System and CCTV, as well as live linking with the existing HR Database. To simplify the migration process, repopulating the database with over 12,000 users was done automatically in real time with GPP SQL database, enabling a smooth phased rollout across all five sites while minimising disruption to staff and day-to-day hospital operations. The final phase brought live over 400 readers, across 5 sites completing the transition to the new system.
The system utilised our powerful IC-2000/4000 intelligent door controllers, as well as MIFARE smart cards to create a single, multi-functional credential across the Trust. This provided the Trust with a scalable and versatile platform capable of supporting future technologies and operational requirements.
Key Products Utilised
- Sensor Access GuardPoint Pro Access Control Software unifies Alarm Control, Badge Design and management, SQL Database management in to one single platform
- Sensor Access Intelligent Door Controllers maintain operational continuity even in the event of network or server communication failures
- MIFARE Smartcards support a range of integrated applications including cashless vending, PC log-on, biometric data integration, and cashless car parking.
- Sensor Access MIFARE Readers provide reliable and consistent reading of MIFARE credentials
The system was designed and implemented to allow extensive future expansion on door number as well as user numbers without the need to replace or upgrade any of the existing hardware.
The Outcome
The Trust now benefits from a stable and fully centralised access control system that has enhanced security and operational efficiency across all five sites for staff, patients, and visitors.
Central integration with the hospital’s existing systems has simplified administration, while the use of a single MIFARE smartcard has provided staff with a convenient credential capable of supporting multiple applications.
The system supports long-term scalability in mind, allowing for seamless future expansion as the site continues t expand without needing to replace the existing access control infrastructure. The solution provides the Health Board with a flexible access control platform capable of continuing to grow alongside its facilities.
