Measuring guide · Care homes and hospitals
Measuring for care home and hospital curtains
Beds, hoists, radiator guards and cleaning regimes all change where a curtain can hang. Measure the room, not just the window.
What is different in healthcare
The curtains, roman blinds, pelmets and tracks and poles guides cover how to take every measurement. This page adds what is different about measuring in this sector and gives you the schedule we need.
Window curtains in a care home bedroom are measured like any other, with two exceptions: they finish clear of whatever sits under the window, and they must not hang where a hoist, bed or door will catch them. Hospitals add cubicle curtains on ceiling tracks around the bed, and secure settings add anti-ligature tracks that fix and measure differently.
Window curtains
Finish clear of radiators, guards and beds
Radiators with LST guards, bed heads and profiling beds all sit under or against windows in care bedrooms. Finish the curtain 20mm above the radiator guard (C) rather than to the floor, or 10mm above the sill (B) where the sill is above bed height. Floor-length curtains in a room with a hoist track or a wheelchair turning circle are a hazard; use them only where the floor is genuinely clear.
Measure the drop in three places
Radiator guards are rarely level with the sill and floors in older buildings slope. Take the drop at each end and in the middle and give us the smallest.
Track width and doors
Size the track from the recess plus 150mm each side. Check that the stack-back does not sit in the swing of the door, a wardrobe or an en-suite door; note the clash and we shorten the stack side or fit a single-draw track.
Returns and dimout
Residents sleep during the day. Dimout or blackout lining with returns to the wall is worth specifying in every bedroom; give us the track projection and we make the returns.
Cubicle curtains
Measure each leg of the track
Cubicle tracks are ceiling-fixed and usually run in an L or U around the bed. Measure each straight leg along the track (A, B, C) and give us the total; we make the curtain to the whole track so it can be drawn to any position. If the track is not yet fitted, give us the bed position and the clearances the ward needs and we size the track.
Floor clearance
Cubicle curtains finish well clear of the floor so cleaning equipment passes underneath and the hem never touches the floor: typically 250 to 300mm. Measure from the track to the floor and tell us the clearance you want; the drop we make is the difference. Confirm the figure with infection control if the trust has its own standard.
Mesh headings and disposable curtains
Many trusts specify a mesh heading of 300 to 500mm at the top of the cubicle curtain to keep sprinklers and ventilation effective. Tell us the mesh depth and we include it in the drop. Disposable cubicle curtains measure the same way.
Anti-ligature and secure settings
Measure the track, note the fixing
Anti-ligature tracks are measured like any other track. What matters is the fixing: the track must sit tight to the ceiling or to a bulkhead with no gap, and the curtain is usually made to a shorter drop and lighter weight so it releases under load. Tell us the track system specified and the finish point required by the unit; we make up to suit it.
The schedule we need
One line per window, all figures in millimetres. Send it as a spreadsheet, a PDF or a photo of a marked-up plan.
- Room / window reference
- Room number and window position, e.g. 204 W1. Sewn into the curtain label.
- Fixing
- Track or pole; new or existing; overlap arm; returns and projection.
- Width and drop
- Track width; drop from track to finish point (smallest of three).
- Finish point
- A floor, B sill or C below sill / above radiator.
- Heading, lining and fabric
- As specified, with the fabric band and colourway.
- Under the window
- Radiator, guard, bed head, sink, or clear floor.
- Cubicle track
- Legs A, B, C in mm, track-to-floor height, clearance and mesh depth required.
- Cleaning regime
- Wash temperature (40°C, 60°C, 71°C) or wipe-clean, so the fabric and make-up suit it.
Rather we measured?
For larger projects we can measure on site. Site surveys carry a fee that depends on the location, the number of windows and the stage of the build; we confirm it before anything is booked. Site surveys and installation.
Frequently asked questions
Which fire standard applies?
BS 5867-2 Type C for hospitals, care homes and any sleeping accommodation under care. Cubicle curtains are tested to the same standard. Every fabric in the care home and healthcare collections is inherently FR and holds Type C; the certificate comes with the order.
Do you make cubicle curtains?
Yes, in inherently FR fabrics washable at 71°C or wipe-clean, with mesh headings where specified, and we supply the tracks. They are priced as part of a project quote.
Can you survey a live ward?
Yes, working around the ward's access rules. Site surveys carry a fee that depends on the location, the number of windows and the stage of the build; we confirm it before anything is booked.
Send the ward or room schedule
Send the schedule and the trust's or operator's standards for cleaning and clearance and we quote window and cubicle curtains together. For larger projects we can measure on site. Site surveys carry a fee that depends on the location, the number of windows and the stage of the build; we confirm it before anything is booked.