The doors in any healthcare setting are vital. Not only are they used constantly, 24 hours a day but they also need to have additional functions to safeguard and protect patients and staff.
When the Northern Devon Healthcare Trust (NDHT) required bespoke doors for the Radiology rooms at North Devon District Hospital they got in contact with the team at Principal Doorsets.
“We went to Principal Doorsets with a requirement for lead lined fire doors with built in flush vision and illuminated sign panels, which didn’t exist; they weren’t available at all. The team were keen to step up to the challenge and wanted to deliver a product that would work for us.”
The illuminated LED panels are built into the doors with the electrical connections passing safely through the conductor hinge. This allows the integrity of the door to not be compromised. Until now hospitals would often apply a panel to the exterior of the door once installed but that can affect the performance in particular its fire safety.
With a requirement for a variety of doors in the hospital setting, NDHT explained the importance of choosing a product and a company that offers value for money whilst delivering no more and no less than what is required. “We are using taxpayers money and so we need to be certain we are getting a top quality product at the best value. We have tested the market through the tender process and Principal Doorsets allow us deliver the exact product we need at a market value price.”
Northern Devon Healthcare Trust have been using Principal Doorsets since they were established in 2014 and they have delivered doors throughout the trust.
“We manufacture many varieties of door,’ says Director, Stan Bond. “It is surprising how the requirements for doors vary for each customer’s needs and we are happy to collaborate with our customers to ensure they get the product they need. When the trust came to us with a niche product in mind we worked with them from the initial enquiry, through to testing and certification and then delivery, to develop the doorset configuration they needed from scratch.”
Having earnt a preferred supplier status for doors within the trust, this has enabled the team at Principal Doorsets to maintain an ongoing working relationship with the trust, “The Principal Doorsets team are really adaptable. They always try to have to help and will do what they can. We are delighted with these fantastic, fit for purpose doorsets.” NDHT
Stan explains “By working closely with the team at NDHT we have been able to configure a range of veneered doors. Using a specified range of ironmongery, our products provide edge and face protection to enhance their working life whilst also protecting them against the constant use.”
Other doors in the hospital in Barnstaple include theatre doors with switchable vision panels and hallway and staircase doors. “We are proud of our partnership working with the team at NDHT,” Stan added, “and of the quality range of doorsets we created, whilst maintaining the aesthetics desired.”