For NHS Fire Doors, What Is the Minimum Time Required? | Essential Safety Guide + 7 Critical Facts

For NHS fire doors, what is the minimum time required? Learn the legal standards, fire resistance timings, and NHS compliance rules in this essential safety guide.

For NHS Fire Doors, What Is the Minimum Time Required?

For NHS fire doors, what is the minimum time required? This question comes up a lot among healthcare managers, contractors, and safety officers—and rightly so. Fire doors are a frontline defence in hospitals, clinics, and NHS facilities. They protect patients, staff, and critical infrastructure when every second counts.

In most NHS buildings, the minimum fire resistance time required is 30 minutes. However, that’s not the whole story. Depending on the building layout, patient vulnerability, and fire risk assessment, fire doors may need to provide 60 minutes or more of protection.

Let’s break it all down clearly and practically, without jargon, so you can stay compliant and confident.

Understanding NHS Fire Door Regulations

Why Fire Doors Are Critical in NHS Buildings

Fire doors in NHS premises aren’t just about meeting legal requirements—they save lives. Hospitals house vulnerable patients who may not be able to self-evacuate. Because of that, fire doors are designed to:

Contain fire and smoke
Protect escape routes
Allow progressive horizontal evacuation
Buy time for staff and emergency services

In short, they slow the spread of fire long enough to manage a safe response. That’s why the minimum time rating matters so much.

Legal Framework Governing NHS Fire Doors

NHS fire door requirements are guided by several UK regulations and standards, including:

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
HTM 05-02: Fire Safety in the Design of Healthcare Premises
Approved Document B (Building Regulations)

These documents work together to define how long fire doors must resist fire, based on risk.

For official guidance, you can also refer to UK government fire safety resources:
👉 https://www.gov.uk/workplace-fire-safety-your-responsibilities

Minimum Fire Resistance Time for NHS Fire Doors

Standard Fire Door Ratings Explained

Fire doors are rated by how long they can withstand fire while maintaining integrity. The most common ratings in NHS buildings are:

Fire Door Rating	Minimum Time Protected
FD30	30 minutes
FD60	60 minutes
FD90	90 minutes
FD120	120 minutes

For NHS fire doors, what is the minimum time required? In most cases, FD30 is the baseline.

FD30 Fire Doors in NHS Settings

FD30 fire doors are widely used in:

Patient bedrooms
Office areas
Corridors with lower fire risk
Administrative spaces

They provide at least 30 minutes of fire resistance, which is usually enough to allow evacuation or fire containment in lower-risk zones.

FD60 Fire Doors in High-Risk Areas

FD60 doors are required where the risk is higher, such as:

Plant rooms
Storage areas with flammable materials
Main escape routes
Areas housing immobile patients

In these locations, the minimum time required increases to 60 minutes to ensure adequate protection.

How Fire Door Timing Is Determined

Building Use and Occupancy Levels

Not all NHS buildings are the same. A GP surgery and a major hospital ward have very different risks. Factors that influence fire door timing include:

Number of occupants
Mobility of patients
Building size and layout
Fire load present

The more complex the evacuation, the longer the fire resistance time required.

Fire Risk Assessments in NHS Premises

A fire risk assessment ultimately determines the required fire door rating. This assessment must be:

Carried out by a competent person
Reviewed regularly
Updated after structural or usage changes

If the assessment identifies increased risk, FD30 doors may no longer be sufficient.

NHS Fire Door Installation Requirements

Approved Materials and Certification

Fire doors must be:

Third-party certified (e.g., BM TRADA or Certifire)
Installed as a complete doorset
Supplied with compliant hardware (hinges, closers, seals)

A fire door slab alone is not enough. The frame, glazing, and ironmongery all affect the fire resistance time.

Importance of Correct Installation

Even a 60-minute fire door can fail if installed incorrectly. Common issues include:

Incorrect gaps around the door
Missing intumescent seals
Non-fire-rated glazing
Faulty self-closing devices

Poor installation can reduce a door’s effectiveness to just a few minutes—far below NHS requirements.