NHS, Healthcare & Social Care · Kent & South East
HEALTHCARE & BEDWATCH SECURITY.
Security that puts patient safety and staff wellbeing at the centre. Our DBS checked, specialist trained officers work alongside clinical teams in NHS and healthcare environments providing professional, compassionate protection that meets the unique demands of a healthcare setting.
WHY US?
24/7
DEPLOYMENT AVAILABLE
SIA
LICENSED STAFF
NHS
ENVIRONMENT TRAINED
ENHANCED
DBS CHECKED STAFF
WHAT WE DO
SPECIALIST SECURITY FOR HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENTS.
Healthcare settings present security challenges that standard guarding cannot address. Violence against NHS staff, agitated patients, mental health crises, lone worker safety and the need to maintain patient dignity in sensitive clinical environments all require a level of training and awareness that goes well beyond a typical SIA licence.
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Our healthcare security officers are specifically selected and trained for clinical environments. They understand ward protocols, patient safe approaches, de-escalation in mental health contexts and how to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team alongside nursing staff, clinicians and support workers. They bring security expertise without the confrontational approach that would be wholly inappropriate in a hospital ward.
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Our bedwatch service provides one to one patient observation supporting NHS trusts and private healthcare providers with continuous, compassionate patient safety monitoring for patients at risk from falls, self harm, agitation, or wandering. These officers sit with a patient for a full shift, maintaining safety, completing observation records and escalating to clinical staff when required.​​
✓ Enhanced DBS checked officers, mandatory for all healthcare placements
✓ De-escalation and conflict management in clinical environments
✓ Bedwatch: one to one or bay cover patient observation
✓ Patient safe protocols and dignity first approach
✓ Support for NHS and clinical teams, not a replacement for clinical care
✓ Lone worker support and staff escort services
✓ Mental health awareness and crisis de-escalation training
✓ Emergency First Aid at Work as a minimum qualification
✓ Full site induction for every officer before first deployment
✓ Available 24/7 including nights, weekends and bank holidays
WHO IS THIS FOR
BUILT FOR CLINICAL ENVIRONMENTS.
We work with NHS trusts, clinical commissioning groups, private hospital operators and social care providers across Kent and the South East. Our healthcare security and bedwatch teams are fully integrated into your site's operational framework briefed, inducted, and held to the same professional and safeguarding standards your clinical team expects.
NHS HOSPITALS & TRUSTS
PRIVATE HOSPITALS
A&E DEPARTMENTS
CARE HOMES & RESIDENTIAL CARE
AMBULANCE SERVICES
MENTAL HEALTH UNITS
REHABILITATION UNITS
CLINICS
PSYCHIATRIC WARDS
HOSPICES
THE BEDWATCH SERVICE
ONE TO ONE PATIENT SAFETY.
Bedwatch is a specialist form of patient observation where a trained officer maintains continuous, one-to-one physical presence with a patient who has been assessed as requiring constant monitoring. This may be due to a risk of falls, self-harm, agitated or confused behaviour, or the need for continuous observation during a mental health episode.
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Our bedwatch officers are not clinical staff — they do not provide medical care, administer medication, or carry out nursing functions. Their role is to maintain a safe, reassuring, and watchful presence: observing the patient, completing accurate observation records, maintaining patient dignity and comfort, and escalating to nursing staff immediately when clinical input is needed.
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​For patients and families, a calm, consistent bedwatch officer provides enormous reassurance. For nursing teams, it frees clinical staff to focus on clinical tasks, confident that patient observation is being reliably covered.
✓ Continuous one to one patient observation for full shifts (12 hour days or nights)
✓ Bay cover available where individual observation is not required
✓ Accurate, real time patient observation documentation
✓ Immediate escalation to nursing staff for any clinical concerns
✓ Maintains patient dignity, privacy and comfort throughout
✓ Follows all ward specific infection control and safety procedures
✓ Calm, compassionate presence that reassures patients and families
✓ Available at short notice, we understand unplanned patient needs.
OFFICER STANDARDS
WHAT EVERY HEALTHCARE OFFICER HOLDS.
ENHANCED DBS CHECK
A full Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check mandatory for all healthcare and bedwatch placements. We process and maintain DBS records for all officers in our healthcare team and can provide documentation on request.
SIA LICENCE
All healthcare security officers hold a current SIA Security Guard or Door Supervisor licence as a minimum. Close Protection and specialist qualifications are available for higher risk placements.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS & DE-ESCALATION
Specific training in recognising and responding to mental health presentations including how to communicate with someone in crisis, how to de-escalate without physical contact and when to involve clinical or emergency support.
SAFEGUARDING & PATIENT SAFE PROTOCOLS
Full safeguarding training adults at risk, children and professional boundaries. Patient safe approaches mean our officers always prioritise dignity, privacy and the welfare of the patient above all other considerations.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
HEALTHCARE & BEDWATCH SECURITY FAQS
What is bedwatch and why is it needed?
Bedwatch is a form of continuous patient observation where a trained officer maintains a constant, one to one physical presence with a patient who has been clinically assessed as requiring uninterrupted monitoring. This is typically required for patients at risk of falls, patients presenting with self harm risk, confused or agitated patients who may wander or harm themselves or others, or patients during an acute mental health episode. Bedwatch officers do not perform clinical tasks their role is to observe, reassure, document and escalate. This frees nursing staff to focus on clinical care while ensuring the patient is never left unmonitored.
Are your officers trained to work specifically in NHS environments?
Yes. Our healthcare security officers receive training specifically for clinical environments including NHS specific de-escalation approaches, patient safe protocols, infection control awareness and safeguarding procedures for adults at risk. Every officer also receives a full site induction before their first shift at any new healthcare posting, covering the ward's specific protocols, the chain of clinical command, observation documentation procedures and the particular patient profile they'll be supporting where applicable.
Can bedwatch officers provide any clinical care?
No. Bedwatch officers are security professionals, not clinical staff. They do not administer medication, carry out clinical assessments, provide nursing care, or make clinical decisions. Their role is entirely within the security and observation function maintaining a safe, reassuring physical presence, completing accurate observation records and escalating to nursing staff immediately when clinical input is needed. This boundary is clearly maintained and communicated during every placement.
How quickly can you provide bedwatch cover?
Patient observation needs can arise suddenly and without advance notice. We understand this and work hard to respond quickly for urgent unplanned requests, we aim to confirm availability and provide cover as rapidly as possible. For planned or recurring requirements, we recommend as much lead time as possible to ensure consistent officer placement and appropriate site induction. Contact our operations team directly for urgent healthcare staffing requests: 01227 469 198 or operations@akonsecurity.com.
Can you provide both bedwatch and wider healthcare security for the same site?
Yes. Many of our NHS and healthcare clients use us for a combination of services bedwatch for individual patient observation, ward and department security for access control and incident response and lone worker escort for staff safety during unsociable hours. Providing all three through a single Akon Security Services team means consistent standards, shared situational awareness and a single point of contact for your site's security operation. We'll work with your facilities or security manager to build the right model for your setting.