Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (LHCH), an NHS Foundation Trust, cares for around 2.8 million patients and their families every year. Renowned for its excellent medical care, research and innovation, the hospital also places great importance on the safety and security of patients, visitors and staff. Brian Cowan, Security Manager at LHCH, is responsible for implementing comprehensive security strategies and maintaining the physical security infrastructure, including the existing CCTV network.

In recent years, however, it became clear that the existing security solution was no longer meeting the hospital’s growing needs.

Challenges of the legacy system

Before Verkada’s modernisation, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital’s security infrastructure was characterised by numerous limitations. The existing system consisted of a mix of legacy coaxial and IP-based cameras that were costly to maintain and operate. Constant repairs, updates and technical troubleshooting regularly took up technician resources. In addition, the system required a special infrastructure: a dedicated room with DVR equipment, extensive cabling and numerous uninterruptible power supplies. The room had to be air-conditioned just to regulate the heat generated. Integrating new camera locations was complex and expensive, while monitoring and evaluating recordings between different locations was only possible to a limited extent. This combination of high complexity, costs and limited agility made it clear that the hospital needed a modern, scalable and easier-to-manage solution.

Infobox: Challenges of the legacy system

• Mix of legacy coaxial and IP cameras, complicated maintenance
• High costs for repairs, updates and technician visits
• Dedicated room with DVRs, extensive cabling and multiple UPS units required
• Air conditioning required in the room for heat dissipation
• Difficult integration of new camera locations
• Limited monitoring and evaluation between locations

Choosing Verkada: Hybrid cloud as the solution

In the search for an easy-to-manage, scalable solution, the choice fell on Verkada, a provider of AI-based physical security solutions with cloud-based management. The initial test phase quickly showed positive effects in key areas such as patient safety, operational processes and data protection. The decision to implement the system across the board was therefore a logical one.

Brian Cowan reports: ‘The Verkada system immediately proved to be a revelation in terms of simplicity, rapid implementation and quality of technology.’

Easy installation and centralised management

Verkada cameras use PoE (Power over Ethernet), which provides both power and network connectivity via a single cable. This significantly reduces installation effort and costs. Thanks to hybrid cloud architecture, the cameras have up to 365 days of onboard storage and edge-based AI processing, enabling real-time video analysis directly at the camera.

Centralised management is handled by the cloud-based Command platform, which allows security personnel to monitor, archive or share camera feeds from any web browser or mobile device. This improves reactive and preventive operational capabilities, as incidents can be detected and dealt with almost immediately. Cowan explains: “The daily functions allow staff to deal with security, health and emergency situations almost immediately. “

Efficiency, scalability and cost control

Verkada’s licensing model is transparent: it includes only software licences and cameras, supplemented by a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty and automatic software and firmware updates. This saves LHCH the ongoing costs of hardware maintenance, security patches and external IT support.

In addition, the system enables unlimited cloud archiving and flexible user management with UK-based support. Cowan emphasises: ‘Verkada scaled effortlessly and gave us instant insight and coverage across our locations.’

Priority for patient and data protection

In a hospital environment, protecting sensitive data is just as critical as physical security. Verkada offers detailed access rights so that only authorised employees can view or maintain specific cameras. All data is stored and transmitted in encrypted form, and the Face Blur feature protects patient identities in external video reports.

In this way, LHCH combines maximum security control with data protection compliance requirements, which is particularly important in the sensitive medical environment.

Positive impact on hospital operations

By introducing Verkada, LHCH has been able to modernise, simplify and efficiently scale its security infrastructure. The centralised platform enables rapid response to incidents, easy integration of new camera locations and minimisation of administrative burdens. At the same time, patient and staff safety is ensured through AI-powered analytics, cloud archiving and encryption.

Cowan sums it up: ‘The LHCH security team remains focused around the clock on protecting all users and our facilities. LHCH is one of the few NHS trusts in the UK to have been rated “Outstanding” twice by the Care Quality Commission. With Verkada’s support, we now have a physical security solution that matches our “Outstanding” status.’

Conclusion

The partnership with Verkada exemplifies how hospitals can future-proof their security architecture. The combination of cloud-based management, AI-powered video analytics and simple hardware installation allows institutions such as LHCH to increase operational efficiency and patient safety without compromising data privacy.

LHCH demonstrates that modern physical security solutions not only solve technical challenges, but also focus on protecting people and sensitive data. Through scalability, transparency and ease of use, security in complex, dynamic environments such as hospitals can be sustainably improved.

With the implementation of Verkada, LHCH is setting new standards for security and data protection in healthcare – a pioneering example of the combination of technology, efficiency and patient centricity.