The National Health Service (NHS) is one sector that frequently needs to reshape its buildings, often under urgent circumstances. Winter pressures, service reconfiguration, and a maintenance backlog of around £13.8 billion require estates teams to make the most of their existing space. The pandemic highlighted the importance of being able to reconfigure estate quickly, with the National Audit Office and others documenting how the response depended on this ability.
For estates and facilities leaders, agility is no longer a luxury, but an operational necessity. Flexible partitioning can play a role in this agility, provided its role is understood precisely. It is an estates tool, not a clinical one, and this distinction is important.
Enabling Works and Decant
Flexible partitioning can help with enabling works, such as segregating a works area from the operational estate. Industrial curtains can create a fast, repositionable barrier around a work zone, which can be moved or removed as the project progresses. This approach can save time and cost compared to using temporary stud walls.
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Decant is another area where flexible partitioning can be useful. When refurbishing an area, it is often necessary to temporarily relocate the functions it houses. Flexible partitioning can help create decant space quickly, including storage, records, non-clinical support functions, staff and welfare areas.
Clinical Space and Limitations
However, flexible partitioning is not suitable for clinical space, which is governed by specific requirements. Subdividing or reconfiguring patient areas affects ventilation and air-change rates, and is subject to regulations such as HTM 03-01. Cohorting and isolation are also clinical decisions that cannot be made by a physical barrier.
Reconfiguring space can also impact fire compartmentation and means of escape, which are regulated by the HTM 05 series and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. These are not jobs for industrial partitioning, and it is essential to recognize the limitations of flexible partitioning in clinical settings.
Specifying for Healthcare Estates
When specifying partitioning for a healthcare estate, it is essential to consider the building’s fire strategy and ensure that the partitioning does not obstruct escape routes, detection, or suppression. Estates teams should confirm this against HTM 05 and the Fire Safety Order before installation.
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Fabric used for partitioning should be certified to BS 5867 Part 2 Type B, with a BS EN 13501-1 Euroclass rating where required. It is also important to ask for the actual test certificate rather than accepting a general flame-retardant description.
As the NHS works to address its backlog and achieve a net zero estate under the Health and Care Act 2022, the ability to reconfigure space quickly, safely, and without closing services will become increasingly important. Flexible partitioning can be a useful part of this effort, as long as it is specified for the jobs it can properly do.
The ability to reconfigure space quickly and safely will be critical in supporting the NHS’s efforts to reduce its maintenance backlog and achieve its net zero goals. By understanding the role of flexible partitioning and its limitations, estates teams can make informed decisions about how to use this tool to support their work.
