Fire Safety Order 2005
Requires assessment, full recording, suitable precautions, maintenance, information, training and emergency planning.
Practice managers, healthcare providers and landlords
Fire risk assessment for medical and dental premises
Assess patients needing assistance, treatment areas, medical gases, equipment and shared healthcare premises, then request a tailored quote.
Key points
Medical or dental premises fire risk assessment at a glance
- Patients who may need assistance
- Treatment rooms and clinical equipment
- Medical gases and hazardous materials
- London and Surrey assessment enquiries
- The responsible person must arrange a suitable and sufficient assessment and record its findings in full.
- Review the assessment when changes, an incident or new information could affect its validity.
Property-specific guidance
Why this premises type needs its own assessment
Medical centres, GP surgeries, dental practices and outpatient clinics receive people whose mobility, health, medication, sensory needs or anxiety may affect their response to fire. Staff may be treating patients when an alarm sounds, while members of the public are often unfamiliar with alternative exits.
The assessment should reflect the actual services provided, patient profile, consultation and treatment rooms, diagnostics, decontamination, oxygen or other gases, laboratories, pharmacies, plant, records storage and any shared landlord systems. The government healthcare guide covers medical centres and other healthcare premises, but not residential care homes.
Legal responsibility
Who must arrange the assessment?
The healthcare employer or provider normally controls clinical operations and is a responsible person. A landlord, NHS body, property manager, pharmacy operator or other occupier may control common areas or shared systems. Each must cooperate, coordinate and exchange relevant fire-safety information.
Read the main fire risk assessment guideLegal framework
Fire-safety duties affecting this property
The Fire Safety Order is the core life-safety regime in England. Other laws and sector requirements can overlap, so the assessment and action plan should not be managed in isolation.
Healthcare premises guidance
Home Office guidance addresses hospitals, medical centres and other healthcare premises and the needs of patients.
Dangerous substances duties
Medical gases, laboratory chemicals, alcohol-based products and other substances may require coordinated DSEAR controls.
Building and healthcare standards
Alterations, diagnostic equipment and clinical fit-outs must preserve the fire strategy and any relevant healthcare requirements.
Assessment scope
What the assessor should examine
The final scope should reflect the actual building and any limitations. A site visit and a prioritised written report are fundamental for a professional assessment.
Patient profile and assistance
Consider mobility, cognition, sensory needs, treatment, sedation, children and realistic staff assistance.
Treatment and diagnostics
Review electrical equipment, lasers, imaging, sterilisation, decontamination, laboratories and heat-producing devices.
Medical gases and substances
Assess cylinders, manifolds, oxygen enrichment, storage, signage, isolation and emergency information.
Escape and compartments
Check travel distances, doors, protected routes, waiting areas, access control and any progressive evacuation arrangements.
Detection and warning
Confirm warning is effective in treatment rooms, WCs, plant and where patients or staff may not hear a conventional alarm.
Management
Review staff roles, appointments, lone work, contractors, drills, maintenance, patient information and shared-building coordination.
Property-specific hazards
Risks that deserve particular attention
These examples are prompts, not a complete checklist. The assessment must identify all significant hazards and how they could affect people in and around the premises.
Oxygen and medical gases
Oxygen enrichment can make materials ignite more easily and burn more intensely.
Clinical and sterilising equipment
Electrical faults, heat and equipment left energised can introduce ignition.
Alcohol-based and chemical products
Hand rubs, cleaning agents and laboratory materials require controlled storage and use.
Locked or controlled areas
Security, medicines control and patient privacy must not prevent immediate escape.
People at risk
Who may need additional consideration?
The assessment must consider everyone lawfully on or near the premises, including people who may be unable to recognise danger, respond quickly or use the standard escape route without help.
Patients receiving treatment
Treatment, sedation, illness or equipment may delay movement and require staff assistance.
Disabled and older patients
Routes, refuges, communication and assistance should reflect foreseeable needs.
Children and accompanying adults
Supervision and unfamiliarity can affect evacuation and assembly.
Lone, agency and visiting staff
People working occasionally may not know alarm zones, exits or emergency roles.
Emergency planning
Evacuation points to test
A written plan is only useful if it matches the building, occupants, available staff and fire precautions and can be carried out under foreseeable conditions.
- Plan how treatment can be stopped safely without delaying escape.
- Provide workable assistance arrangements based on actual staffing and patient needs.
- Coordinate clinical rooms with landlord alarms, stairs, lifts, final exits and assembly points.
- Keep access control and security compatible with immediate escape and emergency-service entry.
What to expect
The five-stage assessment process
- 1
Prepare
Confirm the areas in scope, responsible persons, occupancy, plans, previous reports and relevant fire-safety records.
- 2
Inspect
Walk the premises and examine hazards, people at risk, escape, fire protection and management arrangements.
- 3
Evaluate
Judge whether precautions are suitable for the actual use, occupants, construction and emergency strategy.
- 4
Record and prioritise
Document findings in full and provide a clear, risk-prioritised action plan with responsible owners.
- 5
Review
Keep the assessment current and revisit it when change, an incident or new information may affect its validity.
Evidence and management
Records to prepare and retain
Good records help an assessor understand the premises, allow defects to be tracked and demonstrate that significant findings have been acted on.
- Current FRA and action plan
- Patient-assistance and emergency arrangements
- Alarm, lighting, doors and extinguisher records
- Medical-gas inventory, storage and isolation information
- Staff training, induction and drills
- Landlord, contractor and equipment-maintenance records
Keeping it current
When to review the assessment
There is no single fixed review interval suitable for every premises. Set a proportionate programme and review sooner whenever there is reason to think the assessment may no longer be valid.
- New clinical service, equipment, gas or hazardous substance
- Change in patient profile, staffing or opening hours
- Fit-out, room-use or access-control alteration
- Change to landlord systems or another occupier
- Fire, near miss, alarm problem or evacuation difficulty
- Evidence the assessment is no longer valid
Quote planning
What affects assessment cost?
A useful quote reflects assessor time, competence, site access and reporting complexity. A low headline price is not meaningful without a clear scope.
Clinical complexity
Treatments, diagnostics, gases, laboratories and specialised equipment.
Patient needs
Assistance planning, sedation, mobility and expected occupancy.
Premises layout
Rooms, floors, compartments, shared areas and protected routes.
Interfaces and records
Landlord systems, maintenance evidence and multiple healthcare operators.
Choosing an assessor
Check the person as well as the company
BAFE SP205 provides third-party certification for organisations delivering life-safety fire risk assessments. The National Fire Risk Assessors Register (NFRAR), administered by the Institute of Fire Safety Managers, records individually assessed fire risk assessors and their competency level.
Use both as complementary evidence: verify the organisation’s current BAFE SP205 status where applicable and the individual’s current NFRAR registration and assessed level. Also check direct experience with medical or dental premises premises, insurance, report scope, site visit, exclusions and how follow-up questions are handled.
Related fire-safety services
Acting on the assessment
The FRA should define outcomes and priorities. Any design, installation, inspection or maintenance work must then be scoped and completed competently.
Local coverage
Find and compare assessment support across London and Surrey
Explore local assessor information and quotation guidance, or use the form below to request a property-specific quote.
Frequently asked questions
Fire risk assessment for medical and dental premises FAQs
Do GP surgeries and dental practices need a fire risk assessment?
Yes. They are non-domestic healthcare workplaces and the responsible person must ensure a suitable and sufficient assessment is completed and recorded.
Does the assessment need to consider patients as well as staff?
Yes. It must consider everyone lawfully on or near the premises, particularly patients whose condition, treatment, disability or unfamiliarity may affect evacuation.
Must oxygen cylinders be included?
Yes. Storage, use, movement, separation, signage, isolation and emergency information should be considered, together with any other medical gases or dangerous substances.
How often should a clinic FRA be reviewed?
There is no universal fixed interval. Review regularly and after changes to services, equipment, gases, patient needs, staffing, layout or systems, and after an incident or evacuation concern.
Can a landlord’s FRA cover an individual clinic?
A landlord assessment may cover common areas and shared systems, but the healthcare operator must assess the clinical activities and areas under its control. The assessments and emergency arrangements must coordinate.
Property-specific enquiry
Request a quote for your medical or dental premises
Provide the essential building and occupancy details. Your enquiry can be reviewed and passed to an assessor serving London or Surrey.
- No obligation to book
- Telephone number required
- Use the details box for unusual risks or deadlines
Sources and limitations
Guidance reviewed 21 July 2026
This page provides general information for England. It is not legal advice, a building-specific assessment or a guarantee of compliance. Fire Safety Services is independent and is not affiliated with BAFE, NFRAR, IFSM, the Government or fire and rescue services.
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