How to use Medical Partition Screens
NHS and healthcare sectors range from hospitals to pharmacies and are very often in need of additional dividers and privacy screens. In an environment where hundreds of patients are seen every day, along with the presence of all staff and medical workers, there are lots of opportunities for bacteria to spread.
Hygiene and sterility are the number one factors when placing new furniture and equipment into a healthcare space. Medical partitions should be easy to clean, useful in an emergency and ensure each patient is as comfortable as possible.
What types of material are suitable for a medical environment?
White Laminate
White gloss High Pressure Laminate (HPL) is among one of the popular material choices for the NHS. Chosen for not just the white clinical appearance but for the ability to sanitize and keep in line with any healthcare regulations in all medical spaces.
The gloss laminate can withstand a thorough clean with bleach and chlorine-based cleaning solutions. Therefore, minimizing the spread and growth of unwanted and sometimes dangerous germs and bacteria.
Most will recognize white gloss laminate as a whiteboard material and our HPL is no different. Laminate medical and privacy screens accept drywipe pens offering a portable room divider or partition screen with a dual purpose.
Anti-bacterial Fabric
Anti-bacterial fabrics are a modernized method of controlling bacteria and require minimal maintenance. The fabric takes on a leather look finish and has been pre-treated with sanitized technology which results in a high performance PU coated vinyl, suitable and designed for use in hospitals and healthcare environments.
The antifungal and anti-bacterial treated fabric has been tested and proven resistance against Eshrichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Salmonella choleraesuis, Aspergillus niger, Chatemoium globosum, Cladosporium herbarum. Also, resistant to blood and urine.
As the fabric has been pre-treated, all that’s required for removal of day to day spillages and dirt is warm soapy water. Avoid use of abrasive cleaning solutions and brushes.
Unlike the white gloss laminate, the anti-bacterial fabric doesn’t display the standard clinical appearance. In fact, the colour palette heads in a different direction with bold and striking fabric colours to brighten an otherwise dull space.
Acrylic Medical Screens
Acrylic Medical Screens offer an alternate finish to the other solutions which are completely opaque. Whilst acrylic partitions aren’t a great choice for privacy, they offer great amounts of protection and can act as a barrier from person to person.
Similar to the Anti-bacterial Screens, warm soapy water is preferred to deep clean the acrylic desktop and freestanding partitions that play a part in reducing contact between patient and healthcare workers.
Other Available Finishes
Printed Panels
A printed finish is often associated with an office or school, but printed room dividers and panels are useful for the younger audience in hospitals or GP’s. Keeping children entertained at the doctors isn’t always easy, but with vibrant and educational printed room dividers it's possible to capture attention.
Create customised artwork for the double sided panels or use one of the pre-design educational templates we have available for the Mobi Portable Room Divider.
How are Medical Dividers used?
Emergency Screening
Unfortunately, medical emergencies are a daily occurrence, so it’s imperative that the right equipment is in reach when required. In the event of an emergency, portable medical partitions are the ideal solution due to the ease of movement and the ability to simply fold and unfold the concertinaed panels.
The design supports the need of temporary use and only needs to be visible when an emergency occurs.
Temporary Medical Booths
In situations such as COVID-19 or an influx of vaccines are to be administered, temporary booths are often needed. Temporary booths can be assembled with freestanding or portable screens, which is normally determined by the length of time the booths are required.
Privacy Screens
Privacy is needed in a medical environment for various reason, but mainly for patient comfort and the ability to discuss sensitive matters. A hospital is a crowded place and sometimes use of open plan areas is necessary.
The use of medical partition screens means open spaces can be used to seat more patients comfortably without too much exposure and ultimately maximises the way wasted medical spaces can be utilised.
Medical Screen Styles
Freestanding Medical Partition Screens
Freestanding Medical Screens offer a semi-permanent to permanent feature and enable the divide of an open ward or waiting room. Supplied with raised profile stability feet that are trip and wheelchair friendly, so regardless of positioning, the protruding feet won’t cause a health and safety risk.
Once a freestanding medical partition screen is placed in the designated spot, whilst it can be moved, is generally used in spaces to create a long term division.
Portable & Concertina Room Dividers
Portable medical dividers can be unfolded and used swiftly, so in those moments of emergency a portable divider serves an important purpose. The smooth movement of the portable divider is created with the use of castor wheels which also feature a small locking system.
The idea of a portable medical screen is that a single collection of medical friendly panels can be used across varying wards, rooms and patient areas. Not only are the castors wheels a key feature, but the concertina design elevates the design and makes the portable screens more accessible. The concertina feature condenses a 3m wide partition screen into a slimline unit designed for easy moveability.
