How Do NHS Lanyards Help Improve Identification & Hospital Security?

Any healthcare setting needs an efficient identification system for security, and this is particularly important in hospitals. It is essential that the safety of patients, staff and visitors are paramount and so NHS lanyards can play an important role in helping to achieve this. They not only act as an effective means of identification, but they can also provide access control to ensure that the hospital is as safe and secure as possible.

In this article, We Print Lanyards look at some of the ways in which NHS lanyards can help to improve identification in hospitals and elevate their levels of security.

Clear identification

One of the primary roles of a lanyard is to offer a clear form of identification to anyone who needs it. All staff members can wear a lanyard which prominently displays their identification card to make them easily recognisable to patients, visitors and other colleagues.

This can not only include their name and photograph, but also their role and department to help make communication quicker and more effective.

This can make it much easier to identify who is responsible for different tasks and as lanyards can be customised with different colours or designs, they can help to pick out various roles within the hospital even from a distance.

This means that even in a high pressure situation, it is much easier to spot consultants, nurses, midwives, administrative staff or even cleaners to ensure that the best levels of patient care are offered in a split second.

Access control systems

While lanyards can be used for visual identification purposes, they can also be an important part of access control systems. Every hospital will have certain areas that only designated members of staff are allowed to access. This might relate to medication storage or infection control areas, and so it is very important to make sure that only authorised members of staff can enter these areas.

To achieve this, access control systems are put in place on doors to help ensure only authorised personnel can enter. These will often work by scanning identity cards or fobs so that the door will be unlocked for anyone with the correct permissions.

This not only means that you can keep unauthorised people out of restricted areas, but it also allows hospitals to track who had access to a space at a particular time should an accident or incident have occurred.

Carrying this access control on a lanyard helps to keep it much safer as it is less likely to be put down and forgotten, stolen or lost. It is also easily accessible for busy members of staff who do not want to have to search through bags or pockets to gain entry to a space whilst going about their business.

Improved convenience

Lanyards are typically associated with carrying identity cards, but they can also be used for other purposes. There are a range of different connectors that can be attached to an NHS lanyard, which means they can also carry things like keys, watches, thermometers or even hand sanitiser.

This makes it much easier for all staff members to ensure that they always have the correct tools and equipment with them at all times, so that they can offer more efficient patient care and hygiene levels.

Patient communication

Lanyards can be important when it comes to engaging with patients and their family members as the name and role of each staff member is clearly displayed. This level of personalisation makes it much easier to build strong working relationships between staff and patients, which can be a huge step at in making patients feel more comfortable and therefore able to express their needs. When they feel able to do this, it can result in better overall outcomes for the patient themselves.

Accessibility

Anyone working in the NHS will know that they are likely to deal with a diverse range of patients each day. Lanyards can make this a much easier process as the visual cues and symbols that NHS lanyards can show will make them much more accessible to those with hearing Impairments or learning difficulties. These lanyards can then help to open up further lines of communication with different patients and improve their experience.

Staff safety

The safety of staff whilst working in the NHS is incredibly important and there are now a number of features on most NHS lanyards that can help to enhance this. As a lanyard is worn around the neck, it is essential that it has some sort of breakaway feature in case the lanyard becomes trapped or is pulled by anybody, as this can help to prevent any choking risks. This very simple feature can be incredibly important when it comes to ensuring the safety of all NHS staff members.

Streamlining operations

There is no faster moving environment than a busy hospital, so it is important that as many operations as possible are streamlined. The clear identification offered by NHS lanyards means that collaboration and communication is as quick and easy as possible. The visual cues can help to reduce confusion and enhance efficiency even in emergency situations as they allow key personnel to be quickly identified and located.

Customisation options

The NHS is a huge entity, but not every hospital within it will operate in the same way. Each healthcare setting will have its own individual needs, and NHS lanyards can play a part in this. This is because lanyards are able to be customised to meet any specific requirements that a particular hospital might have.

They can therefore include things like hospital logos, department names or specific job titles, as well as a colour coordination system to ensure that they provide all the information that is necessary while still being part of a professional and cohesive look.

Within the NHS, lanyards are proving to be an essential tool when it comes to enhancing identification and levels of security in hospitals up and down the UK. These simple pieces of kit can play a significant role in keeping hospitals working efficiently while still ensuring the best experience for patients.