Here’s a digest of day one of the two-day NAHS (National Association for Healthcare Security) conference, at the University of Warwick.
After the association’s AGM for members, NAHS chair Roger Ringham welcomed the audience to the conference, relating that NAHS has some 1100 UK-based members, 2000 online followers, 30 corporate sponsors and (in the adjoining room) 29 exhibitors. Some 17 presentations were to follow, and the awards to be presented at the dinner on Wednesday night, November 26 had seen some 90 entries. Roger said: “There has never been such a critical time for healthcare security.” He pointed to a lack of governance, audit and assurance, and even recognition of what healthcare security people do. Violence and aggression towards staff is increasing; and hospitals face other crimes, including terrorism (here Roger looked forward to day two’s hour-long presentation on Operation Impetition, the thwarted terrorist attack on Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust). He suggested that it was a ‘watershed moment’ in terms of the work on ‘integrated policing’ whereby security guarding firms and the police are looking to do further, and more deeper, work together for the common good. Indeed the speaker to close the morning session, Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Gilmer echoed Roger, with the feeling that the moment is right (for numerous reasons) for private security and police to cooperate. She also set out how the 20-year-old CSAS (community safety accreditation scheme) is about to have a refresh and a relaunch, as it’s fallen ‘off the radar’ of chief constables (the ones who sign off CSAS schemes, whereby accredited staff, potentially including hospital guard forces, are trained and are given extra police-like powers).
As an aside, a pleasing aspect to any such association’s gathering is to see other groups attending, and NAHS have warm relations with AUCSO, the association for university campus security managers. Attending were the previous and current chair of AUCSO, Ollie Curran (University College London) and Geoff Brown (University of Leeds); and a man who’s worked in both sectors, Alan Cain (head of security and emergency planning at the University of Salford, who’s tomorrow speaking at the Association of Security Consultants’ seminar at the British Library in London – it’s a busy time of year for gatherings).
Day one was heavy on the counter-terrorism side of security; we heard from Shaun Hipgrave of the Home Office’s homeland security directorate; and Ronnie Megaughin, the Security Industry Authority’s interim director working to prepare Martyn’s Law. To recap, Martyn’s Law – legally speaking, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 – requires 155,000 ‘standard tier’ premises and 25,000 larger, ‘enhanced tier’ premises, besides events, to take steps to counter the threat of terrorism. All 1900 of the NHS’ hospitals come under the Act. From the official speakers we did not get any new nod on timetables for the law coming into force – only that the ‘implementation period’ will be ‘at least’ 24 months from the Act being passed in April 2025; and that the necessary detail, the statutory guidance from the Home Office, will come out to give time for premises to comply. The SIA, as CEO Michelle Russell set out, have their own guidance to publish as regulator and inspector of Martyn’s Law (which will go out to consultation besides, as required of a regulator).
As an aside, a welcome sight was that the SIA stayed around and did not (as can happen with some speakers, for understandable reasons) dash off the moment they’d spoken. This allows those wishing to have a more private word, which can be productive all round, and indeed the reason for making such gatherings worthwhile.
The focus of the audience on when Martyn’s Law will actually come into effect is not only because security managers want to do their job; procuring and buying decisions depend on knowing a timetable. As featured in the December edition of Professional Security Magazine, a further ‘cog in the wheel’ is the UK official Nactso, which is looking after the ‘competent persons scheme’ (whereby consultants and others will register so that premises can hire someone competent to advise on how to comply with Martyn’s Law) and a training course for consultants, and indeed anyone, in protecting premises. Heather Arrowsmith-Tosley, head of professional capability at Nactso, is among day two speakers; as is Figen Murray, the campaigner for Martyn’s Law, who with husband Stuart attended day one.
To touch on only one of several topics aired by day one speakers, some (not all) of the audience responses to Jenny Gilmer’s talk made plain that the ‘Right Care, Right Person’ (RCRP) policy (which became national in 2023, under the then Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman) is not working as its makers intended. To recap briefly (as last featured in Professional Security in January) Humberside Police trialled RCRP because of the time taken up by police, attending to what were not crimes but people in mental health crisis, who in truth were in need of mental health treatment, not a cop. However, the policy did not come with significant money to make it work. Hence, as NAHS people related from the floor of the conference, they are finding a police attitude of ‘we don’t deal with mental health’. This can also mean ‘ping pong’ whereby a police control room may dispatch an ambulance, only for the crew at the scene to report an incident requires the police, and a car is dispatched, only to tie up more public sector resources.
