The seating in a hospital is important and should be made comfortable for both patients and visitors. Infection control is a key consideration but so too is the seating itself – ask yourself if it can it be used by someone of a larger size. It is for this reason that you need to cater for both the visitor as well as the hospital patient.

Most hospitals opt for one particular style of chair for their patients and a separate style for visitors. Patient chairs are found in the hospital rooms and generally take on the form of a high back with a supportive frame so that patients that have just had an operation can sit in them reasonably comfortably. Some hospital chairs even have a form of neck support which is great for those patients that have suffered head injuries or suchlike.

It is not uncommon for visitors to be offered a smaller chair for use when they stop by, as this helps to allow more room to walk about in small rooms, rather than have the space filled by numerous chairs. These are often quite light because they are designed to be easily moveable and sometimes stacked in another area of the hospital ready for appropriate use. You won’t expect to find beautifully upholstered hospital chairs though – the visitor chairs might even be plastic which allows for easy cleaning.

In a hospital, infection control is of paramount importance and hospitals are trying to take every minute detail into consideration. The seating might not seem like a massive concern, but think about the number of people that sit on them – and if a stain appears then you want to be sure that it can be removed quickly and easily.

Hospital chairs need to be hard-wearing and comfortable, but the style of chair you opt for may vary according to the type of person using it, i.e. patient or visitor. In the hospital reception area, for example, you would expect to see furniture that is all the same and this is indeed usually the case. In order to meet hospital standards, there won’t be sofas or suchlike littering the hospital rooms, as these simply aren’t practical. The hospital chairs in a patient’s room will always be designed with support in mind. Also, when it comes to the visitors, you don’t need chairs that are going to be uncomfortable just so they don’t hang around too long – it is important to remember that people of all ages come and visit those in hospital and the visitor seating needs to be just as comfortable.