Enhancing care and security with Hikvision access control at Rodwell House

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Introduction

Rodwell House is a 79-bed purpose-built nursing care facility nestled in green and peaceful surroundings in Addlestone, Surrey. It is part of the forward-thinking Graham Care Group, which operates numerous care homes across the south of England, and is renowned for embracing innovative technologies to support resident wellbeing. Specialising in caring for residents living with dementia and those experiencing physical frailty, Rodwell House strives to create a safe, dignified, and supportive environment for all.

As part of Graham Care’s proactive approach to technological adoption, Rodwell House has recently implemented Hikvision Access Control with facial recognition to bolster its care capabilities, safeguard residents, and streamline operations for staff and visitors. The care home’s manager, Janet Bromley, explains how the adoption of this technology is transforming both day-to-day access control and the broader safeguarding framework at Rodwell House.

Challenge

The introduction of access control with facial recognition technology at Rodwell House was driven by the need for greater oversight, improved safeguarding, and streamlined entry processes. As Bromley explains, a common challenge in facilities that support people leaving with dementia is the potential for them to wander into other residents’ rooms.

“With the nature of the care that we provide, this is an issue that we need to be on top of,” Bromley says.

Rodwell House has deployed effective CCTV monitoring, but this is limited when to comes to identifying individuals entering resident rooms or communal spaces. “We couldn't always see who was going into rooms,” says Bromley, “which would mean we’d need to get someone to check if it looked like being an issue. In addition, we’re keen to have a record of which staff have been into those rooms as well.”

Another challenge was around the building’s manual entry system. Staff have been required to enter codes to access the facility, which was both time-consuming and insecure, especially if keypads were shared or compromised. For visiting relatives—many of whom are elderly themselves—remembering codes and using keypad entry can also pose its own difficulties.

“When you’re coming along to visit someone in care, the building entry code may not be the first thing on your mind,” Bromley says.

There was also a broader concern for auditability and care quality assurance: ensuring that staff were not only entering the correct rooms but spending the appropriate amount of time delivering care to the assigned residents.

Solution

To meet these challenges, Rodwell House has implemented Hikvision DS-K1T342MWX-E1(O-STD) Access Control Terminals. These terminals offer robust access control with advanced features such as:

High-accuracy facial recognition for up to 1500 faces
A 4.3-inch LCD touch screen, 2 megapixel wide-angle lens, and built-in M1 card reading module
Two-way audio
Face with mask recognition
Integration with HikCentral software for centralised management
Support for face, card, and code access modes
Configuration via web client
Power over Ethernet also supplies power for door lock

Rodwell House has obtained consent from all staff, residents and families for use of the terminals. All parties were able to opt out as per GDPR regulations, with keypad entry still an option.

At Rodwell House, the terminals are currently installed at entry points and communal areas, with plans to expand their deployment throughout the building. “They’ve just finished installing it all within the home,” says Bromley. “At the moment, we're using it at the entrance for all the staff. Eventually, we will be using it for visiting relatives as well.”

Staff now use the terminals for seamless, hands-free access, eliminating the need for PIN codes and manual logging. The system identifies authorised personnel instantly, significantly improving both speed and security.

The project was supported by the Graham Care IT team, with installation and system configuration handled to ensure seamless operation with HikCentral, Hikvision’s central management and control software.

Bromley laughs when she confesses she’s “the least IT-savvy person in this company,” but she praises the system’s ease of use: “It’s a nice, simple system for me to use.”

Results

While the full rollout is still in early stages, initial results have been overwhelmingly positive—especially in terms of entry efficiency and future safeguarding capabilities.

“From the staff perspective, it’s brilliant,” Bromley says. “I find it so easy just to go in, and other staff do too. So it’s a real success regarding the entry.”

With the terminals now linked to entry monitoring, staff and resident movements can be verified and reviewed. “If we've got any safeguarding concerns, we can now easily identify people,” Bromley says. This includes tracking who enters resident rooms, especially when an incident or complaint arises.

The terminals will provide benefits when it comes to care quality auditing. Managers will be able to monitor whether carers are entering the correct rooms and how long they are staying, ensuring care is delivered appropriately and consistently. “I can see a staff member going in, and I can also when they come out, so we know how long they’ve been in that room,” says Bromley.

Limiting access to registered individuals only means that random or unauthorised entry is now much more difficult, enhancing the facility’s security.

Accessibility was also a key concern, and the plans to include relatives in the system will simplify access for elderly family members. “Trying to find the keypad and remember the number is really difficult for them,” Bromley says. “Facial recognition will make life a lot easier.”

While Rodwell House is still in the process of deploying the terminals fully, the early integration at the entrance has set a strong precedent for success across the facility.

Replicability

The solution deployed at Rodwell House is not only scalable within the home but also replicable across other care environments. Graham Care has already introduced similar Hikvision systems in four of its other facilities to control weekend and out-of-hours access, suggesting broader organisational commitment to smart access control.

Potential use cases for this technology include:

Other care homes: Especially those catering to residents with dementia or mobility issues, where room entry and wandering pose regular challenges.
Hospitals and clinics: To manage secure and auditable access for medical staff and visitors.
Educational institutions: Where safeguarding, especially in nurseries or special education, is critical.
Corporate and residential complexes: Where secure, non-contact access control can enhance convenience and security.

Conclusion

Rodwell House’s adoption of Hikvision’s access control with face recognition terminals represents a meaningful step forward in using the best of technology to deliver compassionate care. By addressing concerns around security, resident dignity, staff oversight, and accessibility, the system provides tangible operational and safeguarding benefits, positioning Rodwell House, and Graham Care more broadly, as a pioneer in smart, secure elderly care.

As Bromley says: “It will help with the security, with safeguarding, with ease of access, for staff and relatives, and ultimately with the quality of care we deliver every day.”

https://rodwell.house/

https://graham.care/