Pocket doors in healthcare facilities - enhancing patient privacy and space efficiency

Pocket doors are the ideal solution for many different commercial sectors, including retail, education, hospitality and office environments, but an area of the business world to which pocket doors are not often connected is that of healthcare. And yet healthcare settings are just as much in need of flexible spaces and effective space-saving solutions as any other commercial sector.

In an aesthetic sense, healthcare settings need to have an interior design that is attractive and welcoming, but also calming and understated. And the clean lines and unfussy detail of pocket doors are perfect for use in hospitals, clinics and care homes, and will provide a modern and appealing environment in which people can receive critical care. However, from a practical perspective pocket doors offer a number of different solutions, and here we have put together the most common ways in which pocket doors can benefit a healthcare facility.

How pocket doors can help in healthcare facilities

Pocket doors can be incorporated into the design of brand new healthcare settings and can also be retro-fitted into existing facilities to create practical and flexible spaces with various benefits:

Storage – Like any commercial business, healthcare settings have a need to be efficient with the use of space and how operations work. There is a particular need to be clean and tidy, so small storage areas are critical in keeping medical supplies and things like bedding and cleaning equipment to hand, but neatly stored away.

Offices – Although most healthcare facilities like to adopt an open-door policy and have key staff visible and available at all times, there are occasions where privacy is required for meetings, or to debrief staff or family members, and simply for quiet periods in order to study or work. Pocket doors enable these spaces to be created by closing off open plan areas temporarily.

Breakout areas – Working in a healthcare setting can be one of the most demanding jobs available, and a provision for regular breaks is essential. Pocket doors help to create small spaces which can be closed off and where staff can have quiet time and relax, make a drink and prepare a small meal during their shift.

Privacy – In the same way that flexible spaces are required for more senior members of staff, so too are they required for patients. Many hospitals have open plan wards where six or more beds are common and patients are able to chat to fellow patients so that the day passes quicker and is more pleasant, and there is easy access for nursing professionals. However, there are occasions during the day where personal care and examination is required, when loved ones come to visit and at the end of the day when people are sleeping. At these times more privacy is required and pocket doors can act to provide this privacy. Closing a pocket door creates a smaller space temporarily which can be left as an open plan space for the rest of the time.

Transportation – Outside of a ward or a private room, patients are often able to move around a healthcare facility freely and are usually met by double doors which departmentalise the facility and help with security and climate control. However, for a person in a wheelchair or with other mobility issues, opening double doors can be difficult. This action requires the person to open the door and at the same time move backwards to allow it to open, before then moving forwards again. Pocket doors remove this need because they open sideways into the wall, so someone in a wheelchair, for example, can just travel up to the door, open it and move straight through without first having to reverse.

Accessories – There are also practical accessories which can be added to standard pocket doors to make them particularly suitable for healthcare settings. Soft-close doors are good for temperature control and security, as the door will always close and can’t be left open, but more specifically helpful is the self-close accessory. This is a fitting which automatically closes after the person has passed through the door, and would be helpful for someone with limited mobility, who doesn’t have to turn around to make sure a door is shut. The speed of the closing action is also controlled to ensure everyone has sufficient time to pass through. Finally, a double-door coordination fitting is another suitable accessory for a healthcare facility. This enables someone with limited mobility or strength to open one door rather than having to open two. The fitting links the two doors together and will therefore automatically open both doors when you physically just open one door.

Check out our range of pocket door systems and order online today. We can recommend the best types of pocket doors for healthcare facilities if you contact our team.