HEALTHCARE & CARE HOMES
Fire doors for healthcare and care homes
Fire doors for care homes, nursing homes, hospitals, clinics and surgeries, where doors protect people who cannot always evacuate quickly, and compartmentation does the heavy lifting.
WHAT THESE BUILDINGS NEED
Compartmentation you can rely on
Healthcare and care settings lean heavily on compartmentation. Many occupants are dependent, bed-bound or unable to self-evacuate. So the strategy is often to protect in place and move people horizontally into the next fire compartment. That only works if every fire door along that line holds.
These doors are also in near-constant use, and staff frequently hold them open for access. That means self-closers, alarm-linked hold-open devices and seals all have to be right, and kept that way. Ironmongery takes a beating, and small faults add up quickly.
HOW WE HELP
Fire doors for care homes: inspected, repaired and evidenced
Inspection. A qualified inspection of every fire door against what matters: gaps, seals, closers, hold-opens and glazing. An ABBE Level 3 qualified inspector leads it, with a photographic report.
Repair first. We put right what can be repaired, such as seals, closers, hold-open devices and gaps. We replace a door only where it genuinely cannot reach the standard.
Documentation. The evidence your fire risk assessment, your responsible person and any regulatory or CQC scrutiny will expect.
A RECENT PROJECT
Homelake House, Ashley Cross
Homelake House is a retirement living facility in Poole. After a flood, the main contractor asked us to replace every fire door in the building. We fitted new oak flat entrance and cross-corridor doorsets with easy-open closers and Part M vision panels, so less able residents can use the doors safely while each one still closes fully on its own. Read the case study →
Fire doors for care homes and healthcare: FAQs
Straight answers to the questions care home operators, healthcare providers and their responsible persons ask us most about fire doors.
What are the fire door requirements for care homes and hospitals?
Healthcare premises are among the highest-risk buildings for fire, because many occupants sleep on site and cannot evacuate quickly or unaided. Fire doors are critical to the "stay put" and progressive-horizontal-evacuation strategies these buildings rely on. So under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must keep them in efficient working order and inspect them regularly. Fire safety compliance, including fire doors, also forms part of what the Care Quality Commission expects of a well-run service.
How often should fire doors in a care home be inspected?
The building's fire risk assessment sets the frequency. However, because residents are vulnerable, many care providers inspect fire doors more often than the minimum, commonly every three to six months. In buildings above 11 metres, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require quarterly checks of communal fire doors and annual checks of flat entrance doors.
What fire door problems are most common in care homes?
The most common issues we find are doors wedged or propped open, damage to leaves and frames from beds, hoists, trolleys and wheelchairs, self-closers that someone has disconnected, or that no longer close and latch the door, and worn or painted-over intumescent and smoke seals. Each of these stops a fire door doing its job. Equally, each is exactly what a regular inspection catches.
Do healthcare buildings need certified fire doors?
Given the risk profile, healthcare settings should be able to demonstrate, not just assume, the fire performance of their doors. A certified doorset provides documented, evidenced protection. In contrast, nobody can prove a nominal or notional door, and upgrading parts cannot make it certified. Where evidenced protection is required, a replacement certified doorset is the honest route to it.
Who is responsible in a care home?
Responsibility sits with the building's responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, usually the registered provider or operator of the home. They must make sure the fire doors are inspected, maintained and documented, informed by the fire risk assessment and competent advice.
Which areas do you cover for healthcare and care home fire doors?
We work with care homes, hospitals and healthcare providers across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and the wider Dorset area, including Wimborne, Ferndown, Ringwood and Southampton. We provide inspection, repair, maintenance and certified installation.
Last reviewed 7 September 2026 by Daniel Storr, Founder & Managing Director.
LET’S TALK
Protect the doors your strategy relies on
Tell us about your building. We will then set out a practical inspection and remediation plan, with a clear, itemised quote.