HTM (Healthcare Technical Memorandum) is a series of Guidelines for manufacturing with 58 being relevant to timber Doorsets.  

Hospital environments provide one of the most demanding situations for internal doors.   In use 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, hospitals are always busy places, constantly in use by patients, nursing staff, visitors, and contractors.

Users are often not inclined to exercise particular care when using doors and will often be opened using trolleys or even kicked open by people carrying items. This can result in damage reducing the effectiveness and longevity of the door and preventing it performing correctly.  

Owing to the 24 hour operation of hospitals, maintenance is difficult and inconvenient, and our doors are ideally suited to this environment as they are classified as “Severe Duty” which is the most rigorous application for internal doors.  

Much of our work is involved with the refurbishment of existing hospitals where we are able to offer purpose made doorsets to replace existing doors and frames.

Specification

Our doorsets are fully compliant to HTM 58, and come complete with fire disk identification where applicable and the option of factory servicing for ironmongery to increase installation speed.

Protection

To reduce the risk of damage to doors when installed, we are able to offer the inclusion of inset Acrovyn protection plates (to see an example click here) which can be used to protect vulnerable areas of the doors.

We also offer fully Acrovyn encapsulated doors which are ideal for use in corridor areas which are subject to extremely high levels of use.

X Ray Protection

The risks of radiation are well known, and whilst the occasional X Ray presents little risk, the cumulative effect to staff can be considerable.

Walls and ceilings can easily be clad with protective linings, yet it will be the entrance to a room that presents the greatest hazard.

Our lead lined doors provide continuous 2.24mm lead protection to the door, frame and to the back of architraves. X Ray resistant glass can be used to allow vision panels to be incorporated into doors.

Glazing

Flush glazing beads can be offered in lieu of bolection beads to minimise the risk of damage to the bead, again this is useful in corridor applications where there is a risk of items catching or snagging.  

We also offer Vistamatic panels which are frequently requested in hospitals, providing a balance of supervision and privacy.

The option of unwired glass, even in fire rated doors, is a popular choice as this can make doors more inviting.

Laminate faced doors

The use of plastic laminate allows for doors to be easily cleaned,  ideal for use in areas where a high level of hygiene is required.  This type of door facing is also resistant to minor impact damage, and also will never need re-decoration.  Use of differing colours can help to brighten areas, particularly in children’s wards and are a popular choice with the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act). Appearance

Owing to the wide variety of finishes available,  there is no reason why hospital doors have to be dull and functional.  Architects and specifiers now realise the benefits of bright, attractive surroundings which can help to improve the appearance of what can be unpleasant places to visit.

In addition,  the benefit of low maintenance products increases the lifespan and reduces costs over the long term.