Hospital Solutions

The specification of sanitaryware and fittings for healthcare use can be a life or death decision. Literally.

The resurgent problem of cross-infection in hospitals has the attention of the media, patients and of course the Hospital Trusts themselves.

Armitage Shanks has worked closely with government agencies to generate the functional requirements of sanitaryware, indeed, the current Health Technical Memorandum 64 issued by the Department of Health is only the latest output from a long association between the manufacturer and the Government department. It addresses in great detail the products to be used in a range of applications. Used in conjunction with HBN 00-002, a document that addresses room layout for sanitary healthcare installations, it provides a powerful weapon for the specifier in the battle to beat Healthcare Acquired Infection.

Over many years Armitage Shanks has designed and refined products specific to the healthcare market, most notably the Contour range, a stylish product that has excellent hygiene properties due to its smooth organic shape and functionality. However the new ?super-bugs? will not be defeated by good product design alone, the fight against them must be built into the overall execution of the hospital sanitary facility. HFN 30 outlines methods to reduce the spread of infection at the planning stage and when combined with the experience of Armitage Shanks can give the architect a critical edge in a critical battle.

This Essential Specifiers Series guide will present information from the main government standards in a concise format and highlight the steps necessary to design a functional, hygienic healthcare sanitary facility.