A hospital or medical facility is a safe haven for healing, where healthcare teams work together to provide the best possible care for patients. Beyond the healthcare teams however, is a reliable security force that plays an equally crucial role in ensuring that patients receive the care in a safe and secure environment. At SingHealth, this is no different.
As Singapore’s largest public healthcare cluster, all SingHealth Campuses see a high volume of human and vehicular traffic every day. Our security officers ensure that our grounds are kept safe round the clock, and that is no easy feat. As the first line of defence, our security officers’ responsibilities run the full gamut – from responding swiftly to urgent incidents, such as Code Blue Activations, trespassing, investigating suspicious packages, traffic accidents, verbal and physical abuse, to handling non-emergency incidents like crowd control and patient escorts.
“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”
As the range of incidents that our Campuses face on a daily basis expand and evolve, it is important to constantly revise and strengthen our security concepts and operations. In the near future, healthcare is expected to become more integrated and closely connected than ever before. With this transformation comes new operational requirements. Security will have to advance and adapt in tandem, and the first step towards this change is the launch of One SingHealth Security.
Adapting to future challenges as One
Come 10 December 2021, One SingHealth Security (OSS) - a cluster-wide revamp and unification of security concepts and operations - will be officially launched. Under OSS, operations across all SingHealth Campuses will come under a central command, giving OSS the ability to respond effectively to security incidents when they arise.
On SGH Campus, each institution’s security functions operate as an individual unit previously, with scope of operations determined by their operating environment. While the system worked in dealing with minor incidents isolated within the respective institutions, a cohesive response is necessary when dealing with campus-wide incidents – which are more likely to be debilitating to our care operations.
SGH Campus will be the first of our campuses to operate under a central command, in collaboration with our security partner, Certis. At the heart of this new mode of operation is the integrated SGH Campus Security Command Centre located at SingHealth Tower. The Command Centre provides an eagle-eye view of the security situation on campus, enabling round-the-clock surveillance, monitoring and management of environments, incidents, and emergencies. Augmented with data visualisation and real time data feeds, the Command Centre ensures the highest level of readiness to orchestrate the appropriate response to any and all incidents.
The SGH Campus Command Centre at SingHealth Tower is augmented by Argus, an advanced reporting and monitoring system that allows for an overview of security status around campus.
The Argus Officer Support System assists security officers in reporting, monitoring, and responding to incidents on campus.
SingHealth Security Officers will be armed with Argus, Certis’ officer support system, which operates as an application on smart handsets. The Argus system puts multiple reporting, tasking, action and monitoring processes onto a mobile platform, providing officers with support right at their fingertips. With the technological support offered by Argus, security officers on the ground will be able to carry out timely, coordinated and efficient response to incidents on campus.
There will also be additions and enhancements to the existing fleet of patrol vehicles on SGH Campus. A patrol car sporting new livery for better visibility will be deployed, along with High Capacity Quick Response Motorbikes for swift and effective response to incidents anywhere on campus.
A Patrol Car with new livery, and High Capacity Quick Response Motorbikes are the newest enhancements to SingHealth’s security assets.
Aside from improving operations, another goal of OSS is to create a unified identity amongst its officers. With the launch of OSS, Security Officers across all SingHealth Campuses will don a new standardised uniform, creating a harmonised identity that our patients and visitors can easily recognise. This will also increase visibility of our ground forces, which is a key deterrent for criminal activity, giving our visitors peace of mind.
From 10 December, Security Officers across the cluster will be donning new harmonised uniforms, for better visibility and a consistent image across the cluster.
Healthcare is transforming rapidly to meet the needs of the future. Likewise, security needs to respond to change by continually improving standards and raising the bar in order to mitigate emerging risks. With the launch of OSS and the advancements in our security operations, our Campuses will remain secure, creating a safe and healing environment for all whom we care for.
