Looking good and saving lives: the importance of well-designed fitted hospital furniture

The interior design of fixtures, fittings, and furniture within hospital settings has in recent years evolved away from soulless ‘clinical’ items, and towards items which offer a reminder of home, of comfort, and of quality. Such considerations have been shown to be important indicators of patient experience, which in turn has positive impacts on how they engage with and respond to treatment. But, not only does fitted hospital furniture have to look great, it also has to comply with strict clinical standards as outlined by the Healthcare Technical Memorandum (HTM), discussed below.

HTM 63 and HTM 71 adherence

Furniture in healthcare settings has to comply with these rigorous standards, ensuring that every item is made to be non-porous, stain resistant and seamless. HTM 63 regulations ensure that hospital furniture is fitted so that floors are easily accessible for cleaning, and so require suspension above floor level. This is obviously ideal for areas in which particularly robust floor cleaning protocols are in place – such as theatre suites, for example. These guidelines outline five zones of storage components, worktops, and support systems which all work towards providing the most functional furniture designed to reduce the spread of infection. Additionally, HTM 71 regulations necessitate that fitted hospital furniture provides an efficient use of space and an increased ease of stock retrieval and control – vital in hectic clinical areas.

Looking good, saving lives

By complying with HTM 63 and HTM 71 regulations, fitted hospital furniture minimises the risk of infection: such rigorous standards ensure that harmful bacteria has no place to hide, and facilitate an ease of cleaning that prevents the spread of infection. Such attention to detail is proven to be linked with reduced infection rates in clinical settings, which not only ensures the most positive clinical outcomes for patients but also saves healthcare trusts substantial sums of money via the prevention of patients developing secondary infections or illnesses. As a result, a huge amount of detail goes on behind the scenes to ensure these units not only look good, but help save lives too!

Fitted hospital furniture – where to find out more

If you’re specifying hospital furniture or if you’d like to discuss a healthcare or hospital project, please get in touch.

As one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of fitted furniture for hospitals and healthcare facilities, we can design, manufacture and install furniture to meet your individual project requirements. Our hospital furniture range is specified for all types of hospital refurbishment and new development projects, from NHS Trust premises to private hospitals. All our furniture is manufactured at our factory in Broadstairs, Kent, here in the UK. Find out more about our range of HTM 63 and HTM 71 compliant hospital furniture.