South Tyneside Hospital invests £200,000 in CCTV

A hospital in the north has improved and enhanced its patient and staff safety by investing more than £200,000 on extended round the clock security and hi-tech CCTV cameras.

South Tyneside hospital now has nearly one hundred cameras up and down its wards, compared to the fifty that it had before. It is hoped that the investment will help patients and staff feel more at ease after more than 50 of its workers were assaulted at work last year. The new system was installed as a result of a review which indicated that something had to be done about the aggression being displayed by patients towards staff, especially in A&E areas.

Because of the cash injection, a security firm have now been employed and cameras are being monitored on a regular basis. The quality and the amount of coverage that the cameras possess have also been improved, with the result that the police can identify offenders quicker and easier. Increased coverage has also been given to the maternity ward; cameras will monitor public areas; and wards where there are elderly patients will be more closely guarded.

It is hoped that the cameras and extra security will help provide a more pleasant atmosphere both for patients and workers.