Steel Windows for Hospitals & Healthcare Buildings

Security & Anti-Ligature Design

Crittall specialist windows use anti-ligature frame profiles with no external fixings or ledges a cord or fabric could be looped over, combined with secure locking mechanisms that can be customised to a ward’s specific risk assessment. This approach follows the design principles set out in NHS Health Building Note 03-01, which requires that fixtures and fittings in areas where patients may not be continually supervised are designed, constructed and specified to make ligature attachment as difficult as possible.

Sliding formats such as the Fendor CleanVent range allow windows to be cleaned safely by staff without patient access to an opening sash, using a secure lock mechanism accessed from the protected side. Finger-trap-free door profiles extend the same safety thinking to means of escape, and locking configurations can be adjusted ward by ward as risk assessments change over the building’s lifetime.

Hygiene Standards for Clinical Environments

Steel frames are inherently easier to keep clean than most alternatives. Slim sightlines mean fewer ledges for dust and bacteria to collect on, and factory-finished Duralife® polyester powder coating gives a sealed, non-porous surface that withstands repeated clinical-grade cleaning without degrading.

Sliding and top-hung configurations can be specified with cleaning access built in, so maintenance teams aren’t compromising ward security to reach the glass. This matters most in areas covered by NHS infection prevention and control guidance, where frame joints, seals and fixings all need to resist the chemical cleaning regimes used across clinical spaces, not just standard commercial cleaning.

Patient Safety Compliance

Every project is specified against the relevant NHS Health Building Note for the ward type, alongside Part L thermal performance requirements and fire safety standards where curtain walling or fire-rated glazing is involved. Because Crittall works directly with architects and NHS trusts from the design stage, compliance is built into the specification rather than retrofitted.

Technical specification support includes NBS clause referencing, CAD drawings and data sheets, so architects and specifiers can build healthcare-specific requirements into tender documentation from the outset rather than adapting standard commercial specifications after the fact.

Which Systems We Specify for Healthcare

Different areas of a healthcare building call for different systems. Fendor CleanVent is the primary specification for ward areas requiring anti-ligature and secure cleaning access. AlphaLine sliding windows suit lower-security rehabilitation and step-down areas where full anti-ligature specification isn’t required. In administrative, reception and non-patient areas, standard Corporate W20 TE or T60 thermally enhanced windows can be specified for their performance and slim sightlines, keeping design consistency across the whole building without over-specifying security features where they aren’t needed.

Proven in Healthcare: Real NHS and Private Hospital Projects

Crittall delivered a £1.5m window replacement contract for main contractor Kier Construction at North Middlesex University Hospital in Edmonton, replacing over 300 windows across an eight-storey tower block and two-to-four-storey podium building, including the stroke and cardiology departments. The project was carried out in a way designed to minimise noise and disturbance to patients and staff throughout, in an actively operating hospital. Read the full case study.

Case Study: Cygnet Hospital Maidstone

Crittall also supplied and installed secure windows across the £13.5m Cygnet Hospital Maidstone development, a purpose-built low-level secure and rehabilitation unit for up to 65 patients across four wards. Working with Tangram Architects, Crittall specified CleanVent sliding security windows, thermally enhanced and anti-ligature, alongside AlphaLine sliding windows in lower-security rehabilitation areas.

Further NHS and Secure Healthcare Projects

Crittall has delivered comparable secure healthcare projects across the UK, including a further CleanVent installation at Cygnet Hospital Harrogate, anti-ligature glazing for the Broadmoor Hospital redevelopment with West London Mental Health NHS Trust, and a CAMHS facility for Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, providing secure windows for a Tier 4 adolescent mental health unit.

Steel Windows for Hospitals:
Frequently Asked Questions

• Are steel windows suitable for hospitals and secure mental health units? Yes. When specified with anti-ligature profiles and secure locking in line with NHS Health Building Note 03-01, steel windows meet the safety requirements of both general healthcare and higher-security mental health settings.
• Can these windows be cleaned without compromising security? Yes. Crittall CleanVent range is designed so windows can be cleaned from the secure side without patient access to the opening mechanism.
• Do these windows meet NHS building standards? Projects are specified in line with the relevant NHS Health Building Note for the ward type, alongside Part L thermal performance and fire safety requirements.
• What’s the difference between CleanVent and AlphaLine? CleanVent is designed for higher-security ward areas requiring anti-ligature protection, while AlphaLine suits lower-security rehabilitation and step-down areas where full anti-ligature specification isn’t required.
• Can steel windows be retrofitted into an existing hospital building, or only specified for new builds? Both. The North Middlesex University Hospital project replaced over 300 existing windows across an operational tower block and podium building, carried out to minimise disruption to patients and staff.
• What colour and finish options are available for healthcare buildings? Windows are finished in Duralife® polyester powder coating, available in a range of colours, giving a durable, low-maintenance and easily cleanable surface suited to clinical environments.