Healthcare facilities such as doctor’s surgeries, hospitals and clinics provide essential treatment and services to improve our health and wellbeing. Whether NHS or private, the way these facilities are designed and specified can either help or hinder our health.
A well-designed and constructed health facility can make a huge difference to the quality of care and the wellbeing of patients, visitors and staff.
One important, but often overlooked, element is the floor covering used in buildings, in particular, the specialist mats for entrances.
Are there regulations for flooring in clinics, hospitals and care homes?
The UK has guidance about flooring materials that are designed specifically to keep patients, staff and visitors safe. The NHS have Health Building Notes that apply to NHS Trust buildings and the Care Quality Commission provides more general guidance for other care facilities.
NHS England provides guidance in HBN 00-10 part A which includes suitable flooring and installation for healthcare facilities such as clinics and hospitals. A separate Health Building Note guide is provided for adult acute mental health units.
The building notes are guidance and allow for some flexibility in choice of floor materials as long as they perform to certain standards. It provides information on both clinical and non-clinical spaces and determines the type of floor needed based on how the space is used.
What does healthcare entrance flooring need to do?
Key guidance points regarding the healthcare entrances include:
- Flooring should help to prevent slips and trips
- Suitable for foot and wheeled traffic, for example wheelchairs and trolleys
- Weather-resistant
- Prevent traffic from tracking in dirt and moisture from outside
- Regular cleaning schedules are required
- Size and position of the matting needs to be appropriate for the flow of traffic
In the UK, healthcare facilities should also adhere to the British Standards, or BSI guidance for floor coverings.
What are the British Standards for entrance mats?
British Standards are specifications for construction that aim to make buildings safer, more sustainable and maintain quality. Although they are not legally binding, they provide a framework for best practice.
The BS 7953: 1999 documentation has advice on specifying flooring for entranceways. It should be planned and installed to suit the building’s purpose and level of traffic.
The entrance matting should cover the full width of the entrance or corridor and be wide enough for a wheelchair or trolley. It should also stretch at least 2.1 metres into the building or further if foot traffic is high.
The entranceway matting’s main function is to prevent people bringing dirt and dampness into the building on their shoes or on wheels, and capture it in the mat.
By trapping the dirt and moisture, it helps to keep the healthcare facility clean and prevent ingress of bacterial pathogens to clinical settings. It also prevents potential accidents from slips on wet floors.
Matting can be a single type or more than one type. For example, it might be beneficial to have a matting system with an aluminium grill to scrap off heavy soiling and lighter internal matting further into the building.
Entrance mats should also adhere to building regulations on disability, access and inclusivity, where floor coverings should be suitable and safe for the visually impaired and wheelchair users.
This is particularly important in healthcare settings, where people are more likely to have access needs.
MatCraft Ltd has extensive experience in specifying suitable flooring for healthcare environments to safeguard the wellbeing of everyone who enters the building.