Great Ormond Street Hospital: Safety with Safehinge Primeras’s Finger Guards
Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals. It is committed to providing high levels of care while ensuring a welcoming, child-friendly atmosphere. As part of the major refurbishment of the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, Safehinge Primera supplied Alumax Integral Finger Guards to enhance safety without compromising the hospital’s carefully designed interiors.
By choosing Safehinge Primera’s Alumax finger guards, the hospital maintained patient safety and the aesthetic integrity of the building, creating a secure environment for children, families, and healthcare staff. Finger guards are designed to prevent hands and fingers from being trapped, causing injury.
Care provider: Great Ormond Street Hospital
Project type: Refurbishment
Partner: Stanton Williams Architects, Allgood Ironmongery
Products supplied:
Great Ormond Street Hospital, based in London, is renowned globally for its comprehensive care across 63 clinical specialities. The hospital’s Zayed Centre, opened in 2018, focuses on groundbreaking research into rare diseases in children and strongly emphasises providing a comfortable, safe environment for patients and their families.
The Challenge
As a leading children’s hospital, the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) prioritised combining clinical excellence with a child-friendly environment. The Zayed Centre refurbishment aimed to balance cutting-edge medical research with spaces that would be welcoming and secure for children. This required a safety solution for high-traffic doorways, where the risk of finger trapping can be a concern while preserving the aesthetic of the newly refurbished, modern facility.
The challenge was finding a discreet solution that effectively protected fingers while remaining invisible to the eye and seamlessly complementing the hospital’s high-quality design.
The Solution
Safehinge Primera’s Alumax Integral Finger Guards
Alumax Integral Door Finger Guards were specified for the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children to meet these needs. The discreet design provided superior safety while integrating seamlessly into the modern interior of the hospital.
Key benefits include:
Invisible Protection: The rounded heel design leaves a constant 2mm hinge-reveal gap, preventing fingers from becoming trapped while remaining almost invisible.
Seamless Integration: The guards blend effortlessly into the surrounding environment, offering a minimalist aesthetic that complements the contemporary design of the building.
Durability: Alumax is built to last, removing the need for regular replacements and reducing ongoing maintenance costs.
Cost Efficiency: Alumax’s robust design offers significant savings of £500-£1,000 per door over 25 years using an aluminium finger guard compared to plastic solutions.
The Impact
A Safe, Child-Friendly Environment
By installing Safehinge Primera’s Alumax Integral Finger Guards, GOSH achieved the following outcomes:
Enhanced Safety: The Alumax design eliminated the gap between the door and frame, preventing the risk of finger injuries in high-traffic areas without drawing attention.
Design Integrity: The discreet, minimalist design ensured the hospital’s interior remained clean and modern while providing adequate safety for children.
Long-Term Cost Savings: Alumax’s durable design will last the door’s lifetime, reducing long-term replacement costs and contributing to the hospital’s sustainability.
The refurbishment of the Zayed Centre and other areas of GOSH has been highly praised for its attention to detail and commitment to safety. Alumax finger guards have been used in several different hospital departments, including the Children’s Intensive Care Unit (2017) and Nursery (2018), where their durability and discreet design continue to make a difference.
