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KMS fob entry communal door system helps provide ‘safe independent living’ for residents

Hundreds of residents at more than 30 housing schemes near Coventry that provide independent living accommodation have all benefited from having a Key Management Systems (KMS) fob entry to their communal door – and the reassurance of knowing that the door is monitored remotely to provide an extra layer of safety and security.

The door entry system for the accommodation for people over 55, and those over 50 with medical conditions, who want to live independently for as long as possible, is managed by Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council.

The KMS system means Council staff can check residents’ door usage, which will highlight their level of mobility and activity to indicate they are well – and their inactivity, which may suggest they are unwell and in need of urgent assistance. The Council can also see whether the doors have been forced or jammed open.

The Council approached KMS, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, the UK’s leading supplier of residential access control products and services, which predominantly supplies the social housing sector, including local authorities and housing associations, and private landlords. They wanted to avoid residents having to carry a second key to gain access through communal doors and have a watching brief over residents’ movements, particularly around responding promptly to any inactivity and possible health and safety concerns.

Building apartment pix

The KMS SimpleKey Web communal door access control solution, which was already controlling access into all of the council’s general needs residential blocks, was deemed ideal to meet the requirements for the independent living accommodation. The SimpleKey system also provides access to five community centres.

Mitchell Bardsley, Building Surveyor at Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council, commented that the KMS SimpleKey Web solution met all the requirements for their Independent Living Programme. “It makes it easier for residents to gain access, and at the same time, helps us provide a safer living environment.”

He added: “SimpleKey Web also works well alongside our Warden Call System providing a cloud-based system that can be administrated and monitored from any secure location with internet access, preventing the need for council staff to make multiple sites visits.”

Door entry for building apartments pix

Tim Rogers, Director, Sales and Customer Relations at KMS, said: “Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council have used SimpleKey Web to control communal door access in their general needs properties for a long time and now are also using it to help provide safe independent living accommodation. Knowing our solution is helping those who need it the most makes our work even more rewarding.”

KMS is a member of Secured by Design (SBD), the official police security initiative, which is owned by the Police Service and seeks to deter and reduce crime.
One of the two KMS products that have been accredited by SBD for meeting Police Preferred Specification is the SimpleKey Web secure fob access control system, which has been certified to ISO 27001:2013 information technology standards.

The SimpleKey Web ‘Cloud’ communal door access control system requires SimpleKey 4G Door Controllers to be installed but avoids the need for new hardware or connections at end user offices as the administration is carried out using standard internet connections to the dedicated web link for the SimpleKey Web End User system. It is compatible with all existing and new door entry systems and can be installed quickly, without any disruption to tenants.

To help end users communicate with residents or staff via SimpleKey Web, KMS provides its own Digital Notice Boards for installation in communal areas. Other benefits of SimpleKey Web include:

• A true Web interface designed to work on smart phones, tablets and PCs
• Staff/contractor fobs that can simply and quickly be administrated from any web-enabled device
• Unlock a door from site with a smart phones, tablets and PCs
• Pre-programmed Shark Tooth Tokens, enabling new replacement tokens to be simply assigned to residents, staff and contractors
• No need for expensive dedicated hardware or servers at user’s premises
• Virtual real-time updates to all connected blocks
• Universal search bar, allowing simple quick management and reporting
• Activity and alarm alerts via email i.e. door left open and emergency input (fire etc)
• Custom reports, allowing specific reports to be generated adhoc or regularly
• Mapping with the ability to show block locations and status on an interactive map
• SimpleKey hardware capability to be connected to a building fire alarm system (dependent on the alarm type fitted).

KMS SimpleKey Web now controls access through over 41,000 communal doors in 18,000 multi-dwelling properties in the UK.

The other KMS product that has been accredited by SBD is the Panel Mount Reader 46001 electronic door entry system, which has achieved STS 202 BR2 requirements.

SBD Development Officer, Ruari Robertson, commented “KMS’ extensive work with Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council is a great example of relationship building and providing exactly what customers need. Residents now have easy-assess and peace of mind from KMS’ SimpleKey door entry system.”

About KMS
Key Management Systems Ltd (KMS) is the UK’s leading supplier of residential access control products and services, predominantly supplying the social housing sector (local authorities, housing associations) and private landlords. The SimpleKey Web system is a unique and innovative access control solution for all multi-user residences with instant fob administration from any web enabled device.

Contact:
Tel: 01494 531 099
Email:
Web: www.kms.uk.net 
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