Health building notes
Technical standards and guidance (health building notes/health technical memoranda documents)
The documents have moved and can be accessed from this section of our website.
Standard Department of Health and Social Care website protocol is to mark documents as ‘withdrawn’ as part of the redirect to our website. We are aware that this message on the gov.uk website is creating the impression that individual health building notes (HBN) and health technical memoranda (HTM) documents have been withdrawn. This is not the case – all the documents hosted on our website are current.
The status of a document can be checked on the complete list of publications related to NHS estates page of our website which includes details of any documents that have been updated/archived and the dates this took effect.
This page brings together all documents relating to health building notes.
Health building notes give best practice guidance on the design and planning of new healthcare buildings and on the adaptation or extension of existing facilities.
They provide information to support the briefing and design processes for individual projects in the NHS building programme.
The ProCure23 Framework is the recommended procurement method for publicly-funded capital projects over £1 million. The Principal Supply Chain Partners have developed a number of repeatable room arrangements for use in NHS Acute and mental health facilities, all of which are fully compliant with HBNs and Health Technical Memoranda (HTM).
You might also be interested in the HTM document series. Or you may wish to view a complete list of NHS estates related guidance past and present.
Documents
- (HBN 00-01) Designing health and community care buildings – 3 June 2014: Guidance
- (HBN 00-02) Designing sanitary spaces like bathrooms – 25 May 2016: Guidance
- s(HBN 00-03) Designing generic clinical and clinical support space – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 00-04) Designing stairways, lifts and corridors in healthcare buildings – 16 April 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 00-07) Resilience planning for NHS facilities – 30 April 2014: Guidance
- (HBN 00-08) The efficient management of healthcare estates and facilities – 19 March 2015: Guidance
- (HBN 00-09) Infection control in the built environment – 26 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 00-10) Design for flooring, walls, ceilings, sanitary ware and windows – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 01-01) Designing and planning cardiac facilities – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 02-01) Cancer treatment facilities: planning and design – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 03-01) Adult mental health units: planning and design – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 03-02) Facilities for child and adolescent mental health services – 30 June 2017: Guidance
- (HBN 04-01) Adult in-patient facilities: planning and design – 1 December 2009: Guidance
- (HBN 04-02) Critical care units: planning and design – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 6) Designing facilities for diagnostic imaging – 1 January 2001: Guidance
- (HBN 07-01) Satellite dialysis units: planning and design – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 07-02) Main renal unit: planning and design – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 08-02) Dementia-friendly health and social care environments – 25 March 2015: Guidance
- (HBN 09-02) Maternity care facilities: planning and design – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 09-03) Neonatal units: planning and design – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 10-02) Facilities for day surgery units – 1 May 2007: Guidance
- (HBN 11-01) Facilities for primary and community care services – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 12) Designing an out-patients department – 1 January 2004: Guidance
- (HBN 13) Planning and design of sterile services departments – 2 January 2004: Guidance
- (HBN 14-01) Designing pharmacy and radiopharmacy facilities – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 14-02) Medicines storage in clinical areas – 28 May 2021: Guidance
- (HBN 15) Planning and designing facilities for pathology services – 28 April 2005: Guidance
- (HBN 15-01) Planning and designing accident and emergency departments – 11 June 2013: Guidance
- (HBN 15-02) Facilities for same day emergency care/ambulatory emergency care – 28 May 2021: Guidance
- (HBN 16-01) Facilities for mortuaries, including body stores and post-mortem services – 10 May 2023: Guidance
- (HBN 23) Designing hospital accommodation for children – 1 January 2004: Guidance
- (HBN 26) Facilities for surgical procedures in acute general hospitals – 2 January 2004: Guidance