Three hospital furniture trends for 2019

Architects and contractors in the healthcare industry have many factors to consider when choosing hospital furniture. Comfort, hygiene, safety and aesthetics are among the key issues to focus upon, although the need to create a less imposing, friendlier environment is also important – particularly on children’s wards and in mental health facilities. But what are the latest hospital furniture trends? As a British furniture manufacturer for healthcare industries, we’ve noticed an increase in demand for the following:

Ergonomics

Since care is very much decentralised today, one of the greatest challenges when choosing hospital furniture is finding products that allow staff to access patient records from several spaces. Nurses and healthcare professionals could conceivably need to check on patient notes from teamwork areas, corridors or even the patient’s bedside. This means that there’s an increasing demand for standing-height healthcare furniture to allow professionals to do their job without being tethered to a desk.

A welcoming atmosphere

Staying in a hospital overnight can be a daunting experience, particularly for children and vulnerable adults. It makes sense therefore that increasing numbers of healthcare providers are seeking hospital furniture with high functionality and friendly, inviting aesthetic. Seating, bedding and storage areas don’t need to look like they belong in a hospital – it’s possible to have functional furniture which adheres to HTM 63 and HTM 71 without the patient or their family feeling constantly reminded of their situation or whereabouts. Likewise, on mental health wards, fitted healthcare furniture can be ligature-proof and manufactured to reduce the risk of self-harm without appearing staid or imposing.

Hygiene and safety

Hospitals, by their very nature, require furniture that is tough and easy to clean. A good piece of hospital furniture should feature removable components to accommodate a fast but thorough wipe-down, and the framework should be engineered to include as few crevices and cracks as possible, as these are hotbeds for harbouring bacteria.

Of course, constant cleaning with strong chemicals and bleach can cause colour fades and weakening of the furniture’s surfaces, which is why it’s important for all hospital furniture to be durable and manufactured from strong, robust materials.

Hospital furniture trends – where to find out more

We have over 35 years of expertise in designing, manufacturing, and installing hospital furniture from our manufacturing base in Broadstairs, Kent. Some facilities that are using our furniture include Guys & St. Thomas, Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, Wexham Park Hospital, and many health centres and doctors’ surgeries. If you’d like to know more about hospital furniture trends or would like to discuss a healthcare refurbishment or new build project you’re involved in, please get in touch. You can also see more about our hospital furniture product range here.

Image: CMRF 08/10 OLCHC Photos 34 by CMRF_Crumlin licensed under Creative Commons 4.0