Chris Wimshurst, director of sales UK at AddSecure UK, looks at what the introduction of Martyn’s Law means for healthcare facilities.
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, more commonly referred to as Martyn’s Law, is due to be enforced from Spring 2027, requiring any venues that have a capacity above 200 people to take proportional and “reasonably practical” steps to reduce harm and prepare for emergencies in the event of a terrorist attack.
This legislative change will have a huge impact on a number of healthcare facilities, as their capacities frequently exceed this threshold. Unlike other affected venues, healthcare facilities have a number of additional challenges, including a higher number of vulnerable people onsite. Couple this with the fact that an attack could take many different forms, and circumstances can change quickly, comprehensive communication systems play an important role in keeping people safe.
Created in response to the tragic Manchester Arena bombing, the law’s aim is to ensure venues have taken active steps to prevent an attack and can adequately manage one should it occur, alongside emergency services. Currently in its 24-month implementation period, venues have under a year to prepare or be subject to severe financial and legal consequences, with criminal charges brought in certain cases. Commentators have likened the law’s immense impact on businesses to the implementation of GDPR and the Health and Safety Act, despite this, however, many healthcare facilities are still unaware of their responsibilities and how to adequately prepare.
Two tiers
The law is split into two tiers: the standard tier applies to any premises with capacity between 200 and 799 people, while the enhanced tier affects venues with more than 800. The standard tier requires venue managers to take steps actively to prevent incidents and ensure they can respond quickly and effectively to potential attacks, while the enhanced tier has a series of additional requirements, including physical security checks, comprehensive monitoring and detailed security assessments. Healthcare facilities could fall into either category, so it’s critical that management teams do research to ensure they understand which regulations their venues must comply with.
Unlike other types of venues that need to comply with Martyn’s Law, such as sports stadiums and shopping centres, healthcare facilities have a number of additional challenges that they need to contend with to comply with the legislation effectively.
Larger healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, are often large, complex estates with multiple buildings that are comprised of a number of different spaces, each with different levels of public access. For example, clinical areas, such as wards, operating theatres, or administrative spaces, will likely be managed by the hospital management, and public spaces such as cafes or shops may be the responsibility of a third-party operator. It’s critical that all staff members and all areas of the building comply with Martyn’s Law, and that the response is cohesive and coordinated, regardless of which company takes responsibility for the area.
An added challenge is that healthcare facilities naturally have a larger-than-average number of vulnerable or immobile people on the premises. This means that staff cannot rely on the majority of people on the premises to be responsible for following evacuation procedures without any assistance, in the same way a venue like a sports stadium can.
Comprehensive communication systems can help minimise both challenges. Currently, many venues are relying on their fire alarm systems as a catch-all to respond to all types of emergencies. This is flawed because the common response to a fire alarm sounding is to evacuate the building, however, this may not be the safest action to take when a terrorist incident occurs, as it could unwittingly move people into the path of the attack. Terrorist incidents can take a number of different forms, and the situation can change rapidly and dramatically, making them extremely difficult to plan for. Fire alarms are not designed to respond in a tailored or nuanced way.
Under Martyn’s Law, venues also need to have plans for lockdown and “invacuation”, which means to move to another area of the building instead, and so it’s vital that healthcare facilities have a way of communicating with staff, which is the safest response. Additionally, different buildings or areas may need to act differently, for example, it may be safe for one ward to evacuate while another may need to lock down.
A comprehensive communication system is essential for keeping people safe in real time.
Paper trail
So, what does a gold standard communication system look like?
Firstly, it would be a silent alert that can be triggered instantly from multiple points around the building, not just a central control room. This will not only increase the chance of the alert being sounded, but also increase the response speed, as well as not warning the perpetrator that it has been sounded.
The alert will be able to give an accurate location down to the room and floor, unlike GPS systems, which can only give the building, to help increase police response time. It also needs built-in resilience, with multiple channels available to minimise the chance of communication being cut off during the emergency.
Finally, Martyn’s Law requires a clear paper trail, so the system should be easily auditable. This will help venues prove compliance after the fact, as all incidents will be reviewed, and it’s vital that alerts, messages and actions are recorded.
Communication is the foundation of every emergency response situation. Without it, staff can’t give police an accurate account of the situation, and police can’t advise those inside on the safest course of action. Martyn’s Law has highlighted the flaws in the current security measures at large-scale venues, especially healthcare facilities – particularly how difficult it can be to advise those inside the building. Due to the size and complexity of many healthcare facilities, planning out the most effective system takes time, and it’s vital that healthcare facilities begin preparation now.
