Testing for products used in mental healthcare environments is currently inconsistent and often repeated on every single project – adding cost and often delaying the process. And when products go wrong in live mental health environments, the consequences can be extreme, risking service user and staff safety.  That’s not acceptable as far as we’re concerned, and with your support, we’re working to change things.

After a lot of research and a couple of workshops with industry experts, we’ve got a clear path forward in terms of how we’ll write the testing guidance and then test and certify products. We’ve also formed a partnership with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to create the standards and are now on the final stretch in the push for relevant, repeatable and independent product testing and accreditation.

Over the next three months, we’ll be holding a series of workshops to get your input to the technical requirements for the Guide to Specification. Four sessions will be held at the BRE in Watford as follows:

• Anti-ligature (all products) – 18^th July 
• Robustness (all products) – early September (TBC)
• Doorsets and ironmongery (product specific, ie. anti-barricade) – late September (TBC)
• Windows (product specific, ie. air and light transfer) – mid October (TBC)

If all goes well, we should be in a position to have draft guidance prepared and ready for public consultation in the November. But that’s dependent upon getting your support.

Please save the dates above and we’ll be in touch with a link to our website with more information on the development as well as more information on the workshops themselves.

Together, we’re going to crack this issue and make mental health environments safer.