Slip testing for healthcare — vulnerable users, elevated duty.

Why healthcare slip testing is different

Healthcare environments combine three factors that elevate slip risk relative to other sectors: users with reduced mobility, balance, or sensory function; contamination foreseeable from the activity (water, blood, body fluids, cleaning chemicals); and a regulatory environment in which falls are explicit reportable events. The CQC, NHS estates standards, and equivalent bodies all reference floor safety as part of premises management.

Areas we routinely test

• Patient bathrooms and en-suites — perhaps the highest-risk healthcare floor
• Ward corridors and day rooms — high-traffic, frequent cleaning
• Theatre suites and clinical areas — chemical exposure changes flooring properties over time
• Care home communal areas — vulnerable users plus social activity
• Hydrotherapy pools and physiotherapy wet areas
• Hospital entrance lobbies — tracked-in wet weather, the classic slip-risk zone
• Dental and primary care reception areas

NHS and care home framework work

We undertake framework slip testing programmes for NHS estates teams, care home groups, and private hospital operators. Reporting is delivered in formats compatible with CQC documentation requirements and integrates with existing premises risk registers.

Falls reporting and the slip resistance evidence trail

When a patient or resident fall is investigated, premises factors are part of the root cause analysis. A documented UKAS-accredited slip resistance test on the relevant floor, performed before or shortly after the incident, is decisive evidence in determining whether the floor itself was a contributory factor — and equally decisive in demonstrating that it was not, where appropriate.