Residential care settings house vulnerable individuals, many of whom require assistance to evacuate. A tailored fire risk assessment and effective evacuation strategy are essential to protect residents, staff, and visitors.
To DO’s
● Healthcare premises must consider patients who cannot self-evacuate
● Emergency planning should be regularly tested
● Fire Risk Assessments should reflect the complexity of medical environments
Fire Risk Assessment
You must keep a written fire risk assessment, regularly reviewed and updated if the building use or layout changes.
It should:
- Account for vulnerable persons unable to self-evacuate
- Be tailored to shared or multi-occupancy medical facilities
- Identify all fire hazards and sources of ignition
- Include an emergency plan based on assessed risks
Evacuation Strategy
An evacuation strategy is essential:
- Staff must be trained in roles and staged evacuations
- PEEPs (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans) should be created for relevant patients
- Drills should be conducted regularly
Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (Residential PEEPs) (gov.uk)
Additional Considerations
- Fire detection and alarm systems should account for isolated or shielded wards
- Escape signage must be clear, even in reduced lighting
- Fire doors should never be wedged open
Fire Safety Signage and Wayfinding
Risk Management Templates
Use standard pro formas to assess your premises — but adapt them to reflect the specific structure, medical use, and patient needs of your facility.
Fire Risk Assessment Guide for Health Care Premises (gov.uk)
Other Guidance
Quick Links
- Fire Risk Assessment Guide for Health Care Premises (gov.uk)
- Evacuation Strategies
- Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (Residential PEEPs) (gov.uk)
- Signage & Wayfinding
- Health Technical Memorandum 05-02: Firecode. Guidance in support of functional provisions (NHS)
- Responsible Persons Legal Duties (gov.uk)