Mission
Life Brenthurst Clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa needed to modernise its video surveillance system. As with similar facilities throughout the city, petty crime and instances of low productivity stemming from people evading responsibility needed to be managed, and Life Brenthurst Clinic was determined to be at the forefront in excellent service delivery. An existing analogue CCTV system, when it did reveal incidents, delivered such poor image quality that it was useless for providing evidence or helping to manage the problems. Moreover, it was unreliable, inflexible, and increasingly difficult to maintain, and expansion would have been very costly. A replacement was urgently required.
Solution
Axis partner CAMSECURE, a provider of integrated surveillance solutions, recommended replacing the analogue cameras, multiplexers and VCRs with Axis network cameras and a recording and monitoring solution from NUUO. The first phase of the installation comprised 18 AXIS 207 cameras indoors and an AXIS 214 PTZ outside the main entrance. For budgetary reasons, the outside analogue cameras were retained but brought into the digital environment via an AXIS 240Q video encoder. A dedicated Gigabit Ethernet network was installed to transport the image.
Result
The system proved itself in short order on all fronts. On the security front, a cell-phone thief was caught within minutes; a high-quality image of a bogus doctor captured by the system circulated to medical institutions resulted in his apprehension at another site; and long-term loiterers were identified and able to be managed. Abuse of equipment and excessive smoke breaks were detected and now remedied, and opportunities for improving admissions handling for a better patient experience identified. Management see an overall performance improvement, better housekeeping and cost savings as key success areas.
Securing the investment base
The Life Brenthurst Clinic is a long-established clinic with an excellent reputation that needed to modernise its video surveillance system. A high-quality monitoring system was seen as a key element in the clinic's strategy to deliver excellent service in the face of industry-wide staff and skills shortages. The existing CCTV system delivered poor quality monochrome images that were hard to access (from tapes) when needed but, in any event, largely useless.
Part of the upgrade plan for the facility was to provide a safe and secure environment, with the ability to assure stringent quality standards of health provision. The owners and investors wanted to secure their return on their investment in the facility.
Cutting cost of ownership
CAMSECURE, an Axis partner with many years' experience of both analogue and network surveillance systems, proposed that the Clinic install a pure network-based system. The cost of IP video cameras was raised as an objection, but CAMSECURE not only showed that the total system cost would be in budget, but also demonstrated how much more utility it could deliver.
"Staff are now aware that there is |
"We took an AXIS 207 camera to the customer and demonstrated the image quality and clarity to the customer. That sold the solution," said Francois Malan, CAMSECURE.
Rapid deployment and ease of expansion were other strong selling points. The elimination of dozens of cable runs was a further major advantage. The old system had 32 cameras with coaxial and power cables choking up the trunking.
Mohamed Bera, Services Manager at the Clinic, remarked, "Now we have just one network cable that supports all the cameras. It just makes life so easy for everyone who has to work in the services spaces."
The cost of maintaining the system has also dropped as the in-house IT support team has the competencies needed, so they no longer have to rely on outside contractors. The control room staff rapidly felt at home with the system with its familiar PC-based paradigm. The system has been extremely well accepted by the security personnel who see it as making a daunting job easier, breaking the monotony of patrols and increasing the area they can cover, thereby reducing the risk of an incident.
Delivery above expectation
The new system has proven itself effective in more ways than anticipated. Security staff in the parking 
area and on the road outside are more effective as the manager can see when they are not carrying out their duties properly. Internal theft and equipment abuse, as well as incorrect or inadequate adherence to standards and procedures, can be recorded and effectively policed as positive identification of individuals is now possible. A second phase extending the IP camera coverage to all outside areas and adding cameras for nursing stations and ward approaches has already been approved.
"We are now in a position to prevent incidents rather than reacting after the occurrence."
