Security – Staff ID [QSI Ref: XR-104]

Departmental security – staff identification (ID).

All staff should wear identification badges so that:

• Patients and staff will know with whom they are dealing

• Visitors (and others who are not staff members) will be more easily identified and, if needs be, challenged

• Improved monitoring of departmental security both in and out-of-hours is possible

The standard: 

All members of staff in the Department of Clinical Radiology (employed or voluntary) and all official visitors should be wearing hospital-approved identification badges which are in date, in view, and legible.

Target: 

100%

Indicators: 

Percentage of staff and official visitors who are wearing hospital-approved identification badges which are in date, in view and legible.

Data items to be collected: 

• This is a blitz or sprint audit

• All staff should be surveyed at a random time and date

• All staff levels (clerks, secretaries, porters, radiographers, doctors, nurses) should be surveyed and also official visitors

• No warning should be given and the audit can occur in or out-of-hours

Suggested number: 

All staff (employed or voluntary) and all official visitors in the department at the time of the blitz audit.

• Make sure that the ID policy requirements are widely known

• Make sure that locum staff and visitors are given IDs

• All visitors should be encouraged to report to departmental reception for allocation of visitor ID badges (booked in and out)

• The ID policy should be part of the induction process for all staff

• Senior staff should take on the responsibility of ensuring that their staff are wearing their IDs at all times

• All staff should be encouraged to challenge courteously non-ID-wearing personnel - particularly out-of-hours

• Warn visitors and locums in their appointment letters that they will be expected to wear an ID badge

• Simple proforma

• Audit officers to carry out the blitz audit (2 hours)

• Analyse and prepare the results for presentation (1 hour)

1. National Association of Health Authorities & Trusts. National Association of Health Authorities & Trusts. Security Manual. London: NAHAT, 1992:134–43.

Taken from Clinical Audit in Radiology 100+ recipes RCR 1996, updated by CRASC 2007, CRAC 2014 and P Mehrotra 2020