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Standard Department of Health and Social Care website protocol is to mark documents as ‘withdrawn’ as part of the redirect to our website.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the impression that individual health building notes (HBN) and health technical memoranda (HTM) documents have been withdrawn.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
- Health Building Note 00-01: General design guidance for healthcare buildings – 3 June 2014: Guidance
- Health Building Note 00-02: Sanitary spaces – 25 May 2016: Guidance
- Health Building Note 00-03: Clinical and Clinical support spaces – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 00-04: Circulation and communication spaces – 16 April 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 00-07: Planning for a resilient healthcare estate – 30 April 2014: Guidance
- Health Building Note 00-08: Strategic framework for the efficient management of healthcare estates and facilities – 19 March 2015: Guidance
- Health Building Note 00-09: Infection control in the built environment – 26 March 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 00-10: Design for flooring, walls, ceilings, sanitary ware, windows, curtains and tracking – updated 12 October 2023: Guidance
- Health Building Note 01-01: Cardiac facilities – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 02-01: Cancer treatment facilities – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 03-01: Adult acute mental health units – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 03-02: Facilities for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) – 30 June 2017: Guidance
- Health Building Note 04-01: Adult in-patient facilities – 1 December 2009: Guidance
- Health Building Note 04-02: Critical care units – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 6: Designing facilities for diagnostic imaging – 1 January 2001: Guidance
- Health Building Note 07-01: Satellite dialysis unit – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 07-02: Main renal unit – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 08-02: Dementia-friendly health and social care environments – 25 March 2015: Guidance
- Health Building Note 09-02: Maternity care facilities – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 09-03: Neonatal units – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 10-02: Day surgery facilities – 1 May 2007: Guidance
- Health Building Note 11-01: Facilities for primary and community care services – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 12: Out-patients department – 1 January 2004: Guidance
- Health Building Note 13: Sterile services department – 2 January 2004: Guidance
- Health Building Note 14-01: Pharmacy and radiopharmacy facilities – 20 March 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 14-02: Medicines storage in clinical areas – 28 May 2021: Guidance
- Health Building Note 15: Facilities for pathology services – 28 April 2005: Guidance
- Health Building Note 15-01: Accident and emergency departments – 11 June 2013: Guidance
- Health Building Note 15-02: Facilities for same day emergency care/ambulatory emergency care – 28 May 2021: Guidance
- Health Building Note 16-01: Facilities for mortuaries, including body stores and post-mortem services – updated 10 May 2023: Guidance
- Health Building Note 23: Hospital accommodation for children and young people – 1 January 2004: Guidance
- Health Building Note 26: Facilities for surgical procedures – 2 January 2004: Guidance