Keep your emergency lighting in good health

When it comes to emergency incidents, hospitals and healthcare facilities often provide a safe haven for those in need of critical care. However, as Mo Hanslod, CEO of supplier of emergency lighting solutions, Bri-Tek Technologies, explains, such premises are not immune to their own crises, and hospitals must have adequate emergency lighting in place to avoid any potential harmful consequences.

Naturally, hospital buildings and the overall estate on which they are located, are heavily regulated. From complying with infection control legislation, to health and safety regulations and even policies on staffing, each facility must operate against a backdrop of a complex array of governance on an almost daily basis. However, when updated emergency lighting regulatory reforms were introduced in May 2016, few could have anticipated the implications for healthcare providers across the UK.

For estates managers tasked with managing one of the largest property portfolios in Europe in the shape of the National Health Service (NHS) estate, managing lighting can be one of the most critical tasks. With an estate covering a total area of 65.2 million m2 of land, and encompassing some 2,300 hospitals and 10,500 general practices,  ensuring that lighting on healthcare sites operates optimally at all times can be a significant challenge. There are very few environments where lighting has such a vital role to play, whether it is being used to enhance the patient experience through comfortable illumination, or to improve the level of care provided by staff. Such is its value in healthcare buildings that high quality illumination levels in hospitals have even been found to positively impact on patient health, with research indicating that lighting affects mood and human circadian rhythms or the sleep/wake cycle.