Replacement Door Handle Spindles in Healthcare Facilities
When in charge of a healthcare facility, the sheer volume of tasks one has to deal with on a daily basis can be daunting. There are many things that need to be taken care of, not least keeping patients safe and respecting their privacy. One of the first areas of concern comes down to doors. If your patients are in rooms where the doors don’t work properly, that constitutes a serious issue.
With that in mind, we would like to discuss the importance of maintaining the good condition of each part of your door handles, including the door handle spindle. Although the spindle is not especially visible in day-to-day use, a damaged or broken spindle can cause the door handles to stop working entirely. To give you a better understanding of the importance of your door handle spindle, we contacted Locks & Handles for advice. What do you need to know about door handle spindles in your healthcare practice?
Healthcare Doors: High Standards Are Non-Negotiable
Whether you run a small doctor’s clinic in a village or you are in charge of a hospital, it is vital that you keep your doors in peak condition. Doors are among the easiest components of your facility to overlook.
Healthcare facilities need to keep their doors in peak condition. After all, if a patient cannot enjoy some privacy while recuperating and recovering from whatever ails them, or undergo a diagnostic test with a doctor in private, they are likely to feel unhappy.
Not only do you need to keep door handles clean for hygiene reasons, but you also need to keep them functional. Cleaning down handles and knobs is imperative, as it helps prevent the spread of germs from one room to the next, from patient to patient, and from staff member to staff member. Making sure that doors are regularly cleaned and maintained is non-negotiable in healthcare.
The Importance Of Healthcare Facility Door Spindles
That said, you also need to pay close attention to your door handle spindle. The spindle is vital to making sure that doors open from both sides without any issues, passing through the latch or mortice lock in the door to keep handles on both sides fully operational.
If you find that your door handles are not operating correctly, it could be due to the spindle. The spindle is the bar that connects one handle to the other; when you turn one handle, the other should turn as well. Thus, the door disengages from the lock mechanism, ensuring that the door opens as it should. If the door spindle breaks or becomes misaligned, it can stop the doors from opening properly.
That can mean either that doors do not open correctly from one side (or both) or they remain open at all times. Either way, this is likely to cause aggravation among patients and staff alike.
Why Do Door Spindles Matter In Healthcare Facilities?
Safe operation of doors is vital for three main reasons. When speaking with Locks & Handles, they emphasised the importance of having reliable door handle spindles in place. Otherwise, doors can fail to open as they should, which constitutes a potential hazard in an emergency situation.
Generally, when picking new door handle spindles for your healthcare facility doors, you should look for three specific attributes:
Ease Of Care
Over time, a door handle spindle can become loose or misaligned with the door handles. This can occur due to physical damage, wear and tear, or the door becoming misaligned.
Either way, you will need to have these door handle spindles replaced or repaired ASAP. Choosing models which are suitable for healthcare facility doors means that you should have a door handle spindle that is easy to maintain, re-align, and/or clean.
Make sure that your maintenance team pay close attention to any signs of wear and tear on your door handle spindles. If anyone reports that a door handle is not working or that the door seems to fail to open/close properly, it would be wise to have maintenance staff review the door handle spindle first.
Reliability & Compatability
One of the main reasons why a spindle might fail is that it is incompatible with the door. There are numerous types of door handle spindles, so choosing the wrong one could result in the door not opening properly. Make sure that any door handle spindles you buy are checked to ensure they are the right length, shape, and thickness for your healthcare facility doors.
Reliability comes down to making sure that you buy door handle spindles which are made from a durable material, such as high-quality steel. Most handle spindles in the UK are 8mm, although older medical facilities may need to find spindles that are approximately 7.6mm in size. Your technical staff should pay close attention to size measurements, as a spindle that is too large/small will cause issues.
Reliability also comes down to how easy the door handle spindles are to remove. While they are less likely to become a place where germs build up, as they are contained within the door itself, being able to remove and clean door handle spindles should be considered part of door maintenance.
Patient & Staff Safety
Lastly, make sure that you choose door handle spindles which are the right size for the purpose of safety. If a spindle is not correctly fitted or sized, it can stop the door handles from working.
If that happens in the wrong circumstances, it could mean that a door jams shut or does not open when the handles/knobs are turned. That could prevent a patient from getting emergency care, or it could mean that a patient (or staff member) becomes trapped in the event of an emergency exit, such as a fire.
Keep Healthcare Facility Doors Operational With Door Spindles
Our advice here is simple: undergo routine check-ups of all door handle spindles in your practice. Make sure that every door opens from both sides and that handles never seem to jam or struggle when opened.
Lastly, carry out routine cleaning and maintenance of all door handle spindles to ensure they are functioning properly. Hire a locksmith, and they can recommend certified door handle spindles suitable for a medical facility, so you can remove this potential issue from your list of worries.
