Health

Western Cape Government Health is deeply committed to the safety and security of our patients and our staff as reflected in our Provincial Strategic Goal 3, which aims to increase wellness, safety and reduce social ills and as reflected in our Healthcare 2030 vision, which focuses on a patient centred approach balanced with health service delivery where the safety, security and protection of people and other tangible assets becomes the responsibility of all, including senior management and practitioners.

Western Cape Government Health has a dedicated Directorate with a highly experienced and qualified Security Manager attending to security policy delivery and the coordination of internal and outsourced security personnel. The strategy integrates a technological, operational, infrastructure and guarding solution to security risk in partnership with the Department of Community Safety.

We treat security not as a product but rather an effect that must be created by the balanced application of:

• Good design
• Physical measures
• Technical systems and
• Operational procedures

The WCGH makes use of Security Performance Guidelines for all public health facilities including EMS, PHC, CDC, CHC, District, Regional, Central Health facilities, Laundries, Pharmaceutical Services Depot, and Forensic Pathology Laboratories located in Rural, Urban and Metro areas. Security of a site is planned and structured to provide a safe working environment for staff and patients on a 24- hour basis in relation to Threat Risk Assessments and Security Risk Assessments conducted by the Security Risk Management (SRM) department of the Department of Community Safety.

Desired outcomes include the elimination of weapons from entering the facility’s site and buildings by any user including staff, patients, visitors or service personnel or the prevention of property loss through vandalism or theft by any user. In line with the WCGH’s “no tolerance” approach to violence, all buildings and grounds of health facilities are considered to be “weapon free zones‟ and to this extent Walk Through Metal Detectors and X-Ray equipment have, and continue to be, commissioned in our facilities in the priority of the outcomes of the Threat Risk Assessments performed. Using a principle of layering security measures we have been able to increase security of the system as a whole. If an incident causes one security measure to fail, other measures are in place to provide the necessary security to protect the system. This principle is known as defence in depth. Further all Metro security contracts have been refreshed this year and the rural refreshment program has also commenced.

Monitoring and Evaluation is performed by the fully functional Departement of Health Security Committee, onsite managers, Quality Assurance personnel and internal and external performance auditors.