Future flexibility with fire safety built in

Managing, maintaining, and planning effectively for the future is perhaps more difficult in a hospital environment than in any other type of building. The nature of hospitals means that business-as-usual is not just a trite phrase in a memo, but an absolute necessity. What is more, it is not like any other type of business. The building is occupied by people who are in ill health, and therefore vulnerable to infection, and potentially have restricted mobility. It is also likely to be large, labyrinthine, and full of people – patients, visitors, and temporary or agency staff – who are unfamiliar with their surroundings, plus it is packed full of technically advanced, sensitive, and expensive equipment that must be kept clean or sterile and, perhaps most challenging of all, will be subject to constant changes due to the demands of patient care and the resources available. This gradual evolution of hospital buildings, and the need to adapt to changes in technology, patients’ requirements, and NHS policy, leads to significant refurbishment programmes in many hospitals. With budget squeezes, targets for patient care, and infection control, posing continuous challenges, as well as the need to anticipate future changes, the estates team needs to look for ways to minimise the impact of these refurbishments, and to build in futureproofing strategies that will both help to make the building more flexible, and safeguard its occupants.

Fire risk

High on the list of potential safety threats in a hospital is the risk of fire. Many older hospital buildings still in use were not designed to modern fire safety standards. Even for contemporary buildings, the fire safety challenges are immense; evacuating immobile patients and visitors who do not know their way around the building is complex, and means that the fire safety measures built into the fabric of the hospital must be ultra-effective to allow extended evacuation times. As a result, measures to inhibit the spread of fire and smoke are paramount, and high levels of compartmentation, clear exit routes, and ample fire service access, cannot be compromised. Where the hospital has floor and/or ceiling voids for the installation of mechanical and electrical services, full and effective fire stopping is also an essential element in the fire safety installation to help inhibit the spread of fire and smoke in the event of fire. Fire stopping materials seal the openings and joints in fire-rated walls, ceiling, and floor assemblies, with fire-retardant products to prevent the passage of flames, gases, and toxic smoke. The problem for health estates managers during refurbishment projects is that any modifications to the electrical services are likely to require such materials’ removal and replacement.