What should you consider when designing hospital washrooms?
- Healthcare
There is a lot to bring together when designing hospital washrooms.
Layout and accessibility requirements, infection prevention, sanitaryware, materials, water management, services and maintenance all need to be considered alongside the relevant healthcare guidance and the practical constraints of the building.
And, of course, the space still needs to look good. Healthcare environments increasingly need to feel welcoming and considered, with colours and finishes that complement the wider interior scheme.
Most architects and specifiers working in healthcare will be familiar with these individual requirements. The challenge is bringing them together in a specification that works technically, operationally and visually. So where do you start?
Before choosing sanitaryware or an IPS system, start with the requirements of the space.
A patient en-suite, public WC, outpatient facility or clinical area will each place different demands on the specification. Available space, wall construction, service requirements, expected use, cleaning regimes and maintenance access will all influence the right solution.
The relevant healthcare guidance also needs to be considered from the outset:
● HBN 00-02 covers the design and layout of sanitary spaces.
● HBN 00-09 addresses infection prevention and control within the built environment.
● HBN 00-10 Part C sets out the requirements for sanitary assemblies.
These sit alongside the wider regulatory framework, including Approved Document M, Approved Document T and BS 8300, covering accessibility, toilet provision and inclusive design.
Once those requirements are clear, you can start bringing together the sanitaryware, IPS, materials and finishes that will deliver the best result.
Sanitaryware, IPS, brassware and finishes may be specified separately, but they need to work together as a complete sanitary assembly.
HBN 00-10 Part C covers the performance of sanitary assemblies and duct panels in healthcare environments, including cleanability, durability, water resistance, concealed services and maintenance access.
So it’s worth considering the complete installation.
● Are services properly concealed?
● Can they be accessed easily for maintenance?
● Are surfaces and junctions easy to clean?
● If a component needs repairing or replacing, can it be reached without unnecessary disruption?
Getting these details right can make a real difference to how easy the installation is to clean and maintain once the building is in use.
In healthcare, infection prevention needs to be considered from the beginning.
HBN 00-09 encourages smooth, impervious finishes that are easy to clean, with supply pipework concealed and unnecessary dirt traps avoided.
A material can have excellent cleanability credentials, but the finished installation can still create problems if there are difficult-to-reach gaps, unnecessary joints or awkward interfaces around sanitaryware.
IPS panelling can help by concealing pipework and services behind smooth, easy-to-clean surfaces. With Vepps, those services remain accessible through secure access panels when maintenance is required.
Healthcare projects can require a wide range of sanitaryware, from WCs, showers and baths through to clinical wash hand basins, clinical sinks, disposal units, janitorial units, plaster sinks and scrub-up troughs.
Venesta's healthcare IPS systems can accommodate all of these applications, with compatible sanitaryware, brassware and fittings available as part of the specification.
This gives you the flexibility to specify the right sanitary assembly for each space and maintain a consistent approach across the wider project.
Materials in healthcare sanitary areas need to withstand moisture, frequent cleaning and heavy use, so durability and cleanability will naturally be high on the list.
But practical doesn't have to mean clinical. Colour and finish are part of the overall design too, whether you're creating a calm patient environment or carrying a wider interior scheme through the building.
Venesta's Vepps Hygen range brings the two together. Made from Solid Grade Laminate (SGL), its smooth, seamless surface is impervious to water, durable and easy to clean. It's also available in a wide choice of finishes, giving you plenty of freedom when it comes to look and feel.
How the assemblies are delivered can make a significant difference to the installation programme.
Venesta’s Vepps Healthcare units are pre-plumbed and factory tested before they arrive on site, reducing the amount of work required during installation. With fewer trades needed on site, there is less cutting, dust and disruption, and installation time can be reduced by up to 50%.
For healthcare projects, particularly refurbishments and work in live environments, that can make a big difference to how smoothly the installation goes.
A beautifully resolved installation can quickly become frustrating if an estates engineer cannot get behind it.
Consider how easily concealed services and components can be reached for inspection, maintenance or replacement, and how much of the installation needs to be disturbed to get to them. A relatively minor repair shouldn't create unnecessary disruption or take facilities out of use for longer than needed.
HBN 00-10 recommends hinged access panels where possible, with simple, secure locking mechanisms.
Across the Vepps Hygen range, hinged and lockable access panels, larger access hatch options and sectional systems make concealed services easy to reach when maintenance is required.
That means routine maintenance and repairs can be carried out with less disruption to the surrounding installation.
There is rarely one healthcare IPS solution that works everywhere.
Existing wall construction, service depth, available space, fire and acoustic requirements and installation sequence can all change what makes sense. For example, a recessed system can preserve valuable room space. A boxed-out system can accommodate different service depths, with between-walls and standalone solutions providing further options depending on the project.
Venesta's healthcare range has been developed around these different requirements, giving you the flexibility to find the right configuration for the building and its services..
There is a lot to consider when specifying hospital washrooms, and every project has its own requirements. You don't need to have every detail resolved before speaking to us.
Our healthcare team works with architects, specifiers, contractors and estates teams to help find the right IPS and sanitary assembly solution.
Come and talk to us at Healthcare Estates, 13–14 October 2026 at Manchester Central, or get in touch to discuss your project any time. We’re here to help.
