SECURITY WITH SENSITIVITY AT TOP CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

From July, OCS is responsible for the provision of a core team of nearly thirty professionals to ensure the hospital benefits from a safe, secure and welcoming environment for patients, visitors and staff. This will include four professional managers providing round-the-clock management of all non-clinical facilities within the 41 ward national centre of excellence for the provision of specialist children's health care.

With a 150 year history, Great Ormond Street currently delivers the widest range of specialist care of any children's hospital in the UK. It is the only specialist Biomedical Research Centre for paediatrics, the largest centre in the UK for children with heart or brain problems and the largest centre in Europe for children with cancer. In a typical year, the hospital receives more than 150,000 patient admissions or appointments, over 90% of which are day cases and outpatients. In such a continuously busy environment, the OCS role is seen as crucially important.

OCS has built its reputation on the provision of security with sensitivity. The company employs over 3500 security specialists across the UK but, in spite of its size and commitment to advanced security technologies, it also recognises the need for common sense and caring in communication at every level in all its contracts - which not only include hospitals and clinics but also shopping centres and airports.

This philosophy is reflected in a similar contract at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Gateshead, where OCS has a reputation for professionalism beyond the call of duty. It consistently gains 80% satisfaction in independent patient assessments and in a turbulent year, the team there has been called upon - amongst other incidents - to administer life-saving first aid and deal with a dangerous car fire outside the maternity unit.

In winning the contract at Great Ormond Street, OCS was able to demonstrate a strong understanding of the fact that the hospital environment can be one of high emotion, involving difficult issues for patients and family members who need help and support.

OCS is also very keen for its staff to become part of the community within a hospital, ensuring they are always approachable by patients and visitors, giving help with directions or finding a quiet place in which to cope with difficult news.

OCS Security is part of the OCS property support services group which employs 61,000 people and provides services and products in catering, cleaning, hygiene, engineering and pest control. Welcoming the contract, OCS chief executive, Chris Cracknell said, “So much of our work involves helping people go about their lives in a safe environment and nowhere is this more important than in a children’s hospital. Our group philosophy incorporates the need to go one step beyond what is required and this begins with treating everyone with respect and courtesy. OCS Security have built a strong reputation for doing just that and I congratulate our team in winning this contract.”