Agilient reviewed aged care security at a residential home, including how it could rapidly lock down and isolate areas during an intruder incident, using systems it already had while keeping its welcoming character.
THE CHALLENGE
A New South Wales aged care provider runs an open, community-facing home that welcomes visitors and tradespeople throughout the day. That openness is part of its character, but it meant the main entry and car park entry could allow people to move through the building without challenge. Staff were unsure how to quickly secure the reception area or isolate resident wings from an aggressive person, and whether existing fire doors or nurse call functions could be used without triggering a full building alarm. The provider needed practical, proportionate lockdown options that protected residents and reception staff and met its obligations under the Aged Care Quality Standards and work health and safety legislation.
OUR APPROACH
Agilient used a five-phase method. The first phase defined the context and credible threats, including realistic escalation pathways. The second involved site walk-throughs and an access review covering reception layout, staff positioning, entry points and how an intruder might move through the building. The third phase analysed lockdown and isolation options, testing what fire doors, access control and nurse call systems could and could not do, to find feasible partial lockdown arrangements that would not activate the full building alarm. The fourth reviewed emergency procedures and training, identifying gaps in distress alerting and staff communication. In the final phase, recommendations were staged and ranked by risk reduction and feasibility, so the provider could act on the most effective measures first.
THE OUTCOME
The provider received a practical, staged plan for intruder lockdown and response.
- A Strategic Intruder Lockdown and Response Report setting out proportionate lockdown and isolation options using existing infrastructure
- A prioritised risk and recommendation register ranked by risk reduction and feasibility
- A management briefing session to support decisions on procedures, training and security investment
Related services: physical security consultant, aged care security, security risk assessment consultants. Sector experience: healthcare security consultants. To discuss a similar project, contact Agilient.