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Making sense of healthcare guidance documentation in relation to doorsets

HFN 30 - Infection control in the built environment

Hygiene is now regarded as the most important performance criteria in many healthcare applications in order to combat Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs), antibiotic-resistant bacteria, MRSA, E-coli, C.diff and so on. Guidance in the NHS document HFN 30 - Infection Control in the Built Environment - calls for smooth, hard impervious surfaces which are easy to clean and durable.

Ledges, recesses and right angles where dust particles can be trapped should be avoided to allow ease of cleaning.

With doorsets, there is no better solution than Plasform to satisfy these requirements, suitable for the most demanding situations including surgery suites, pathology labs and pharmacies.

In addition to hygiene, Plasform doorsets can also satisfy a wide range of other technical requirements including X-ray protection, fire resistance, smoke containment and impressive sound reduction. Vision panels can also be supplied with glass to contain lasers of specified frequencies.

HTM 69 – Protection The distinctive postformed profile of Plasform is also recognised in NHS guidance document HTM 69 - Protection - in contributing to protecting door edges in healthcare environments, and it also contributes to user-safety with 'softer' radiused edges. An in-depth guide to specifying doors and doorsets for healthcare buildings - 'Doorsets for Health' - is available from Leaderflush Shapland, see literature section. Colour contrast and privacy Use of colour coding (including doorsets) to different areas or floors is a useful technique to help visitors or patients and give identity. Various NHS guidelines identify specific areas where conspicuous warning signs are required including X-ray film stores, bio-hazard laboratories and stores containing flammable material or particular equipment.

The Plasform Cleanglaze range offers the opportunity to incorporate signs and other graphic devices directly onto the door face while maintaining the highest hygiene capabilities. The Plasform range can also incorporate Intelliglass® vision panels which can be changed from clear to frosted at the flick of a switch.

Why Plasform? Healthcare is one of the most taxing areas for the building industry today with fast moving technologies, new procurement methods, rapid changes in building types and - not forgetting - the need for a comfortable and therapeutic patient environment. More than ever today, the Plasform range offers a unique combination of attributes that make it the ideal choice for healthcare projects.