Security at Maria Hilf GmbH clinics in MoenchengladbachApproximately 28,000 patients and another 100,000 outpatients are treated at the Maria Hilf clinics each year. With over 800 beds, the hospital is the largest in the city and in the bishopric of Aachen. Patients are treated according to the latest scientific findings and using the most modern medical technology. Close to 1,600 employees, including 190 doctors and 800 employees in nursing service, make sure that the patients are well taken care of. Working profitably "Personal care cannot be covered by usual medical insurance. But, to meet the standards of our humanitarian, personal approach, we have to work as profitably as possible in other areas," said Stefan Bahun, head of security for the hospital. One area that was not operating economically in the past was the night-time gates. With lower visitor frequency and fewer emergencies or patients requiring transport compared to daytime, the night shift was not working at full capacity. That is when the idea was born to take advantage of technology and to centralize the night personnel at one of the three locations. The capacity that would be freed up this way could be invested in the day shift, which had to master an ever-increasing number of tasks. In addition to the telephone system, the "gate/information desk" also had to manage the parking guidance system, camera surveillance and patient information. This is also where all the alarm messages end up, whether it is a stuck elevator, problems with the oxygen supply or even a fire alarm. These issues had to be taken into consideration for the centralization of the night-time gates.  Controlled access
Access control at the locations without a gate-keeper in the night hours remained a problem. "It is still necessary for emergency services and patients to be able to enter the clinics at night. But we cannot simply leave the buildings open to anyone. And communication via an intercom system alone just doesn't do the job." Stefan Bahun realised that this problem could only be solved by installing a powerful digital camera system. "Although we already had video technology, this analogue system proved unsuitable for what we really needed. And because the buildings were already equipped with a good computer infrastructure with a powerful network, we decided to take advantage of that for the camera solution." Easy operation Then someone happened to stumble across MOBOTIX in the trade press. "An important factor influencing our decision," continued the head of security, "was easy operation. In this respect, MOBOTIX already offers all the features we need, along with camera control via an Internet browser. But we also wanted to make things as simple as possible for the desk clerks." This is where, at the suggestion of the Kaiserslautern-based manufacturer, uniserve Internet & Multimedia GmbH came into play. Uniserve developed "WINSTON", a camera management software solution that can be operated ergonomically, extremely easily, quickly and intuitively. This software solution also includes a floor plan as well as a camera overview and allocates special functions, such as a door opener, directly to the appropriate camera image.  Central monitoring
Obviously, this solution was a big hit with the customer. Today, there are a total of 14 MOBOTIX cameras in operation at the three Maria Hilf clinic locations, thus providing central monitoring for all the entrances and access points. Other critical points, such as the cash desks and banking machines or the waiting room in the emergency room, are also under the watchful eye. "The Kamillaner Hospital has not been staffed at the front desk for ten hours at night since August 2004 and everything has been working perfectly," Stefan Bahun summarised. "We also plan to introduce the concept at St. Franziskus soon to complete the centralization project. On the whole, we are very pleased to say that this camera technology has increased the security level in our clinics. The investment has certainly paid off and I am very happy." | 
