"The monitor system from Verex was chosen," says Clive Sansom, systems integration manager of Hanovia "because it offered full integration of access control with intruder both within the controller hardware and within the software. It is one of the few security systems available on the market today that enable access control and intrusion detectors to be connected along the same RS485 line, in addition, CCTV can also be integrated from within the software. With only one set of wiring for both access control and intruder, one software package and one PC to run it on, we were able to offer Essex ambulance service an extremely powerful and cost effective solution"

Installation began in early 2004 in the Harlow ambulance station to control the barriers in the car park. The system was then expanded at the ambulance service headquarters and to other stations throughout the region in line with a phased renovation program. Automated door openers have also been installed throughout the installation and incorporated into the Verex system. Standalone Verex controllers were installed in further stations throughout the Essex area and connected to the headquarters' system in line with the system network upgrade.

During 2005-2006 a joint project between East of England ambulance service and Hanovia solutions was conducted to design and build a secure storage facility for drugs and medicines. The cabinet uses the Verex readers to control access to its various compartments and it is linked to the central system to enable monitoring of the use of the cabinet and the compartments within it. This means that there is an audit trail of usage of the cabinet giving the ambulance service both the security and the accountability it required. The first cabinet was installed in the A&E department of Broomfield hospital and is connected, via the wide area network, to the ambulance headquarters in Chelmsford.

"This was a challenging project," continues Clive, "we needed to find a commercially available integrated system with the ability to centrally monitor the installations throughout the region using the newly installed wide area network and in addition safely and reliably control the use of the secure drugs cabinet. The monitor system from Verex offered us a system that gave us the power and flexibility we required without the need for bespoke development and which, at the same time, offered us the expandability and future proofing required by East of England ambulance service. The Verex system has proven to be totally reliable and the installation has grown with the requirement of our client without the need for expensive upgrades or any equipment redundancy"