Why Sliding Doors are Ideal for Healthcare Environments

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healthcare

In healthcare environments such as hospitals, doctor's surgeries and care homes, sliding door systems are becoming increasingly popular due to their ability to maximise space, increase accessibility and enhance privacy. With multiple opening and closing options, sliding doors can be specified with features such as automation, self-close and soft close, making them ideally suited to these settings.

This blog explores the key benefits of sliding doors in healthcare and how our products can help.

Improve Hygiene

One of the greatest risk to patients in hospitals is the spread of infection, which can easily occur through frequent contact with surfaces such as door handles. Automated sliding doors with motion sensors reduce the need for physical touch, helping to minimise cross-contamination.

Increased Accessibility

Accessibility is a critical consideration in healthcare design. Facilities must accommodate for people of varying abilities, whilst also allowing for the movement of large equipment, wheelchairs and hospital beds. Sliding doors improve accessibility by sliding clear of the opening-providing wide, unobstructed entryways for easy passage between rooms. For added convenience, sliding doors can be automated to allow the doors to be opened by motion sensor, remote control or via a control panel.

Maximise Space

Unlike traditional swing doors, sliding doors move along a track-saving valuable floor space. As such, they are particularly well suited in areas with limited floor space, such as corridors, bathrooms and storage areas.

Safety

Safety is vital in healthcare, where both patients and staff need secure, efficient environments. As such, sliding door systems have been designed with features such as obstacle detection technology, adjustable closing speeds and soft close technology to reduce risk of injury.

Our Evolve automated sliding door system can be programmed to stop or reopen if an obstacle is detected, reducing the risk of accidents. The Sirocco self-closing system offers adjustable openings and closing speeds, with delay settings to allow safe passage for mobility aids and equipment. In addition, soft-close technology ensures the door opens and closes gently, preventing slamming.

Enhanced Privacy

Self-closing sliding door system enhanced patient privacy by ensuring door close automatically after use, minimising the risk of doors being left ajar. They are ideal for patient bedrooms, bathrooms, consultation rooms and theatres whereby privacy is a priority.

How P C Henderson Can Help

At P C Henderson, we provide a wide range of sliding door solutions tailored to the unique needs of healthcare environments. Our Evolve automated sliding door systems caters for wooden, glass or metal doors of varying weight capacities up to 120kg and can be operated by motion sensor, remote control panel. Alternatively, our Sirocco system features an integrated mechanical self-closing mechanism and caters for wooden doors up to 80kg.