Kingsway Logo

Overcome door barricades in seconds

In mental health facilities and challenging environments, it is critical that staff can gain access to patient rooms during an emergency situation.

In an attempt to prevent staff from entering a room, a patient may barricade the door by wedging items into the edges or hinge, placing heavy items such as furniture up against the door, or by using their own strength.

The presence of an anti-barricade mechanism that can overcome these methods is therefore critical to ensuring patient safety in high risk areas, such as patient bedrooms.

Designed alongside clinical staff and subject matter experts, our Anti-Barricade Door Systems make sure staff are prepared should such an incident occur, allowing staff to open the door away from the barricade to swiftly provide the necessary care to a distressed patient.

 

Are anti-barricade doors important in mental health settings and challenging environments?

If a vulnerable service user successfully barricades a door, such as their bedroom door, they will prevent staff from entering the room. In this situation, staff would be unable to intervene in any attempts by the service user to self-harm. It is therefore critical that the possibility of this situation is designed-out of the physical environment in mental health facilities and other challenging settings.

The CQC in England offers guidance in the ‘Health Building Note 03-01: Adult acute mental health units‘, stating that “Doors should be capable of being opened outwards in an emergency situation, so that service users may not barricade themselves in.”

 

What anti-barricade doors are available?

While an anti-barricade door must be able to open outwards, the capability of opening inwards during normal operation is a crucial factor in contributing to patient recovery journeys, as outlined by the CQC in England stating that “the use of inward opening, single-leaf doors is considered to be more conducive to a homely, less institutionalised environment”.

Our range of Anti-Barricade Door Systems are double-action by design, meaning that they can open inwards  in regular operation as well as outwards in the event of a barricade incident. This inward-opening action helps create a more homely space for the patients during door normal operation, while ensuring the outwards opening capability is there when required.

In the same set of guidance, the CQC warns that “emergency anti-barricade systems sometimes create a space between the door and frame. Project teams should ensure that visual and sound privacy is not compromised in the design solution.” Fortunately, through considered design our doorsets meet the door frame to exact tolerances, ensuring privacy and safety are maintained. Our SWITCH Anti-Barricade Door System, for instance, features a high-strength rebated timber frame that offers a homely feel with anti-barricade capabilities.

Overcome barricade incidents in seconds

During emergency situations in mental health facilities and challenging environments, it’s imperative for staff to be able to overcome barricade attempts quickly. Our anti-barricade door systems are designed to make this both possible and achievable during emergency incidents, with our SWITCH and SWING anti-barricade doors allowing entry during barricading incidents in seconds through user-friendly design.

As Your Partner in Patient Safety, at Kingsway Group we also provide full training on our anti-barricade door systems to any member of staff who will need to operate the doors. Through user-friendly design and staff training, our anti-barricade doors become an integral piece of technology within a clinical team’s risk management plan.

 

If you’d like to learn more about our Anti-Barricade solutions, why not book an online demonstration?

We’ll provide you with live online demonstrations at a time of your convenience and answer any questions you may have. Simply request a demonstration below and we’ll be in touch!

Request an online demonstration

 

The best ideas start with conversations

Get in touch with us to find out how we can work with you on your next idea and project
Start a conversation