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Safety, compliance, and comfort are indispensable in healthcare facilities, particularly within mental health settings, where they play a pivotal role in nurturing healing environments. Adhering to specific rules and regulations is crucial to guarantee the welfare and well-being of patients.
Seeking to establish a healing space in your facility that's safe, compliant, and comfortable?
Continue reading for insights into healthcare building regulations and essential design guidelines on heating.
Health Building Note 03-01: Design Regulations for Mental Health Units
The Health Building Note 03-01 offers indispensable guidelines for shaping environments within mental health units. These guidelines help ensure the safety of occupants while creating a therapeutic space. With a core focus on averting self-harm and mitigating ligature risks, these directives encourage both healing and well-being.
Anti-ligature Designs
Spaces where continuous staff supervision may not be viable (e.g. bedrooms and toilets) should be designed, constructed and furnished to make self-harm or ligature as difficult as possible. This can be done by employing anti-ligature fixtures and fittings throughout. While no official size mandate exists for grilles, it’s recommended to choose a design with grilles that meet the IP3x standards to ensure protection against the ingress of objects greater than 2.5mm in diameter.
Concealed Pipework
All pipework and electrical conduit should be concealed behind maintenance-accessible panels and heating pipework should be insulated to prevent touch exposure.
Secure and Tamper-Resistant Fixings
Where ventilation grilles are accessible to service users in unsupervised areas, it's crucial that these grilles are constructed from robust materials, such as Zintec steel, in alignment with Home Office standards and specifications.
The grilles need to be securely fixed and installed flush with the wall or ceiling to ensure they are tamper-resistant. Designs incorporating internal wall and floor fixing points further enhance security, deterring unauthorized access, removal, or manipulation.
Localised Temperature Adjustability
To enhance user comfort, it's advisable to incorporate localized temperature controls, which not only prevent overheating but also empower service users with a sense of control. The integration of anti-ligature Thermostatic Radiator Valve (TRV) kits can provide service users with the ability to manage their own heating, thereby improving comfort levels effectively.
Infection Control
Incorporating a comprehensive infection control strategy is integral. You may select anti-microbial treated furniture and easy-to-clean designs that encourage regular cleaning.
Anti-microbial technology like BioCote® coupled with designs that are easy to maintain, can mitigate infection risks within the facility and address the unique challenges posed by mental healthcare settings.
Anti-Ligature Products
Anti-ligature designs are essential in mental healthcare settings. They aim to create safe environments for patients and staff by eliminating or reducing potential ligature attachment points. The concept involves incorporating architectural elements that can support a person's weight without breaking or causing harm instead of providing ligature attachment points.
For example, in a patient room, a horizontal grab bar can be installed on the wall to provide a brace for patients to lean on or support their weight, rather than a hook or a shower rail that could be used for ligature attachment. Similarly, furniture can be designed with a sturdy frame that can support a person's weight without breaking, rather than using components that could be used for ligature attachment.
It’s important to opt for innovative and high-quality anti-ligature products, such as anti-ligature ventilation grilles, radiator covers, light switches, and TV units. These specialised products are designed to meet the diverse needs of Mental Health facilities, providing peace of mind for patients and caregivers.
Stay Compliant to Healthcare Building Regulations With Safe Heating – DeepClean Extra
DeepClean Extra is a specialist range of heating solutions designed and engineered to minimise the risk of self-harm and for installation in secure environments, such as mental health facilities, prisons, SEN Schools, custody and remand units.
Removing potential tamper opportunities and ligature points in locations such as these, are key considerations. The anti-ligature design incorporates IP3X-rated grilles tested by a UKAS-accredited laboratory and certified to protect against the ingress of objects greater than 2.5mm in diameter. Anti-ligature TRV kits are also available to allow service users to take control of their heating to increase comfort levels.
Get in touch today and book a free consultation with one of our heating experts to discuss anti-ligature heating solutions for your facilities.
