🇬🇧 UK Buyer Guide · SPC & LVT · Care Homes & NHS
Care Home & NHS Flooring: Compliant SPC/LVT for UK Healthcare
Healthcare flooring carries real clinical and liability stakes, and the guidance is specific — but it is also widely misquoted (the old “HTM 61” was withdrawn years ago). Here is what the current NHS standard actually requires, where SPC and LVT plank are the right choice, and — just as importantly — where they are not and welded sheet vinyl is needed instead.
Short answer
SPC and LVT plank are an excellent fit for care homes and NHS non-clinical and light-clinical areas — wards, corridors, waiting and day rooms — with wet PTV 36+, Bfl-s1, and an impermeable, easy-clean surface per HBN 00-10 Part A (the current standard; HTM 61 was withdrawn in 2006). For high-clinical and wet-clinical areas — theatres, treatment rooms, sluices — welded sheet vinyl with coved skirting is specified instead, not plank.
Reviewed June 2026 · HBN 00-10 Part A · HTM 01-05 · General guidance, not clinical or compliance advice.
Get the standard right
The current NHS flooring standard is HBN 00-10 Part A — not HTM 61
First, a correction you will see across the industry: HTM 61 “Flooring” was withdrawn in 2006. The current NHS guidance for healthcare floor finishes is Health Building Note (HBN) 00-10 Part A – Flooring (NHS England). Specifications and supplier sheets that still cite “HTM 61” are quoting a document that no longer applies — a small detail, but the kind a knowledgeable estates team will notice.
HBN 00-10 Part A sets performance requirements for healthcare floors. In essence, finishes should be smooth, non-porous, impermeable, and resistant to liquids and cleaning agents, chosen with cleaning in mind wherever blood or body-fluid contamination is possible, and detailed to avoid moisture traps at edges and junctions. Floors must be slip-resistant where needed, and the appropriate specification depends on the clinical-risk category of the space (broadly light, moderate or high clinical risk). Alongside it, HTM 01-05 governs day-to-day decontamination — so the floor must survive frequent, aggressive cleaning.
The infection-control thread runs through everything: the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assesses healthcare providers on keeping healthcare-associated infections as low as possible, and the floor is part of that chain. A non-porous, easily cleaned surface with well-detailed junctions supports it; a porous or joint-heavy floor in the wrong area works against it.
Where SPC & LVT plank fit — and where they don’t
✓ Plank LVT / SPC is the right choice
→Care homes — residential, nursing and dementia care: domestic warmth with clinical-grade cleanability.
→NHS wards & corridors — patient bedrooms, circulation, day rooms.
→Waiting, reception & offices — non-clinical and light-clinical areas.
→Dining & communal spaces — high footfall, spill-prone, easy to clean.
✗ Specify welded sheet vinyl instead
→Operating theatres — seamless welded sheet with coved skirting.
→Treatment & clinical wet rooms — high-clinical risk; no plank joints.
→Sluice rooms & dirty utility — impervious welded systems.
→Wet rooms / assisted bathing — coved, welded, fully tanked.
High-clinical and wet areas need a continuous, jointless surface with coved skirting to eliminate moisture traps — which plank LVT/SPC, by definition, has joints and cannot provide. Honest specification matters here.
This is the distinction that separates a credible healthcare flooring supplier from one over-reaching: plank LVT and SPC are excellent for care homes and the large non-clinical and light-clinical estate, but they are not a substitute for welded sheet vinyl in high-clinical or wet-clinical rooms. Ecoflors supplies the plank product for the former — and will tell you plainly when sheet is the right answer for the latter.
The strongest fit
Care homes: domestic warmth with clinical-grade performance
Care homes are where SPC and LVT plank genuinely shine. A care environment needs to feel like a home, not a hospital — warm wood and stone looks rather than clinical sheet vinyl — while still being waterproof against incontinence and spills, slip-resistant for frail and elderly residents, easy to clean, and fire-classified for communal areas. Plank LVT delivers all of that with a residential appearance.
Dementia design considerations
For dementia and nursing settings, recognised design guidance shapes the flooring choice — and it is worth following even though it is good practice rather than regulation. In general terms: avoid high tonal contrast and busy patterns between adjacent floor areas, which can be misread as steps or holes; avoid shiny or sparkly finishes that can look wet and cause hesitation; and keep transitions between rooms tonally smooth. A matt, consistent wood-look plank in a calm tone supports residents’ confidence and mobility.
Practical care-home spec: a matt wood-look plank, slip-rated for spill-prone areas, with a heavier wear layer for trolley and mobility-aid traffic, and the same range across bedrooms, corridors and communal spaces for a consistent, calming appearance.
How the floor meets the requirements
Mapping SPC/LVT to healthcare flooring requirements
For care homes and NHS non-clinical / light-clinical areas, this is how a correctly specified plank floor meets the HBN 00-10 Part A and related requirements:
| Requirement | How SPC / LVT plank meets it | Specify & evidence |
|---|
| Impermeable & non-porous | Waterproof PVC core and sealed wear layer — no absorption of spills or body fluids. | Non-absorbent SPC/LVT core |
| Withstands aggressive cleaning (HTM 01-05) | Chemical-resistant wear layer survives frequent NHS-grade cleaning regimes. | 0.55mm wear · Class 34 |
| Slip resistance | Textured slip-rated finish for spill-prone areas and frail-resident safety. | Wet PTV 36+ / R10 — slip guide |
| Reaction to fire (corridors) | Documented class for communal circulation and escape routes. | Bfl-s1 — Bfl-s1 guide |
| Indoor air quality | Low-VOC certification for occupant health and any BREEAM scheme. | FloorScore SCS-FS-05154 — BREEAM |
| Moisture traps at junctions | Glue-down (bonded) install minimises movement; for high-clinical/wet areas use welded sheet + coving instead. | Dryback glue-down (plank limit noted) |
For care homes and NHS non-clinical / light-clinical areas only. High-clinical and wet-clinical areas require welded sheet vinyl with coved skirting. Confirm the clinical-risk category and specification with the estates / infection-control team.
The recommended care & non-clinical specification
The healthcare workhorse
3mm Dryback LVT · 0.55mm wear
For care homes and NHS non-clinical / light-clinical areas, a
3mm glue-down (Dryback) LVT with a 0.55mm wear layer handles trolley, wheelchair and mobility-aid traffic while staying warm and domestic underfoot. Permanently bonded, waterproof, Bfl-s1, and slip-rated for spill-prone spaces. Product page:
3mm Dryback LVT.
Format3mm Dryback / glue-down
Wear layer0.55mm
Utilisation classClass 34
FireBfl-s1 (EN 13501-1)
SlipR10 · wet PTV on request
IAQFloorScore SCS-FS-05154
ConformityCE EN 14041 DoP
MOQ800 sqm / SKU
On antimicrobial claims: the value of a healthcare floor is in its cleanability — a non-porous, sealed surface gives contamination nowhere to harbour and stands up to HTM 01-05 cleaning regimes. We focus on that verifiable performance rather than marketing an antimicrobial additive; confirm any specific surface treatment against the product datasheet.
Healthcare buyer FAQ
Care home & NHS flooring — questions buyers ask
What is the current NHS standard for flooring?
The current guidance is HBN 00-10 Part A – Flooring (Health Building Note, NHS England). The older HTM 61 “Flooring” was withdrawn in 2006, so specifications still citing HTM 61 are referencing a document that no longer applies. HBN 00-10 Part A requires healthcare floors to be smooth, non-porous, impermeable, resistant to liquids and cleaning agents, slip-resistant where needed, and detailed to avoid moisture traps — with the specification depending on the clinical-risk category of the space.
Can you use LVT or SPC plank in a hospital?
Yes — in the right areas. Plank LVT and SPC are well suited to NHS non-clinical and light-clinical areas (wards, corridors, waiting areas, day rooms, offices) and to care homes, provided they carry the right slip (wet PTV 36+), fire (Bfl-s1) and cleanability performance. For high-clinical and wet-clinical areas — operating theatres, treatment rooms, sluices and wet rooms — welded sheet vinyl with coved skirting is specified instead, because a continuous jointless surface is required.
Why is welded sheet vinyl used instead of plank in clinical areas?
High-clinical and wet areas need a continuous, impervious surface with coved skirting to eliminate moisture traps and joints where contamination could collect, in line with HBN 00-10 Part A and infection-control practice. Plank LVT and SPC, by their nature, have joints — so they are not appropriate for theatres, treatment rooms or sluices, even though they are an excellent choice for wards, corridors and care-home settings.
What slip resistance does care home and NHS flooring need?
For spill-prone and wet areas, aim for a documented
wet Pendulum Test Value (PTV) of 36 or above for shod pedestrians — the UK benchmark for low slip risk, and especially important for frail and elderly residents. Ecoflors supplies R10 as standard and a wet PTV figure on request for the specific finish. See our
slip resistance guide for how PTV works.
What flooring is best for a dementia care home?
A matt wood-look plank in a calm, consistent tone. Recognised dementia design good practice is to avoid high tonal contrast and busy patterns between floor areas (which can be misread as steps or holes), avoid shiny or sparkly finishes (which can look wet and cause hesitation), and keep room-to-room transitions tonally smooth. Combined with slip resistance, waterproofing and easy cleaning, a matt residential-look LVT supports resident confidence and mobility.
Does the flooring need to be antimicrobial?
The key healthcare property is cleanability, not a marketed antimicrobial additive. A non-porous, sealed floor gives contamination nowhere to harbour and withstands the frequent, aggressive cleaning required under HTM 01-05 — which is what supports infection control. If a project specifically requires a surface treatment, confirm it against the product datasheet rather than relying on a general claim.
Factory-direct · care & healthcare spec · UK shipments
Spec the right floor for each healthcare area.
Tell us the setting — care home, NHS ward, corridor, day room — and we match a compliant plank specification with the evidence: CE EN 14041 DoP, Bfl-s1 certificate, wet PTV on request, and FloorScore. And where a high-clinical or wet area needs welded sheet vinyl instead, we’ll tell you plainly.
3mm Dryback · Class 34 · Bfl-s1 · wet PTV on request · CE EN 14041 · FloorScore SCS-FS-05154
HS 3918.10 · FOB Ningbo / Shanghai · MOQ 800 sqm / SKU · factory-direct from Changzhou, China since 2017
Disclaimer: General information for care providers, healthcare estates teams, contractors and their suppliers, not clinical, infection-control or compliance advice. Healthcare flooring requirements depend on the clinical-risk category of each space and on the project’s infection-control and estates strategy; high-clinical and wet-clinical areas require welded sheet vinyl rather than plank. Guidance documents (HBN 00-10 Part A, HTM 01-05) and CQC expectations may be updated; performance classes and certificate numbers should be confirmed against the actual product documentation, and the specification confirmed with the estates and infection-control team. Reviewed June 2026.
