Martyn’s Law, formally the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, brings renewed focus to how publicly accessible buildings are expected to prepare for high-pressure incidents.
For hospitals, health centres and outpatient facilities, the implications are particularly significant.
Healthcare estates represent some of the most complex public environments in the UK.
They operate around the clock, accommodate high footfall, and are inherently difficult to control, with a continuous flow of patients, visitors, contractors and staff.
While much of the early discussion surrounding Martyn’s Law has centred on risk assessments and procedural readiness, the physical infrastructure that supports safe movement and evacuation warrants equal attention.
In healthcare settings, where patient safety, dignity and continuity of care are paramount, estates and facilities teams play a critical role in ensuring that buildings behave predictably when pressure is high.
Where policy meets real-world use
Martyn’s Law is expected to be introduced in phases, with full implementation anticipated by April 2027.
Its purpose is to ensure publicly accessible locations are better prepared for fast-moving, high-stress incidents, with proportionate measures designed to support safe outcomes rather than obstruct them.
For hospitals and health centres, this reinforces a principle that estate professionals already understand: in an emergency, building systems must function instinctively.
Patients, visitors and even staff under stress are unlikely to pause to interpret complex instructions or troubleshoot unfamiliar door mechanisms.
Escape routes must be intuitive, and exit hardware must operate immediately and consistently.
Panic and emergency exit hardware already forms a core element of fire-safety design, governed by standards such as:
- BS EN 1125 – Panic exit devices for public access areas
- BS EN 179 – Emergency exit devices for areas where occupants are familiar with escape routes
These standards are well established, and Martyn’s Law does not replace them. Rather, it reinforces the importance of correct application, installation and maintenance.
Implications for healthcare estates teams
Government guidance outlines two tiers of responsibility:
- Standard tier (200–799 individuals): No requirement to install new physical security measures. The emphasis is on procedures and baseline preparedness.
- Enhanced tier (800+ individuals): A requirement to consider, where reasonably practicable, physical measures that may reduce risk.
Many hospitals and larger health centres are likely to fall within the enhanced tier, particularly those with multiple entrances, extended operating hours and high visitor volumes.
However, facilities within the standard tier may also benefit from reassessing how their estates perform under abnormal or high-stress conditions.
For estates teams, the priority is not wholesale redesign, but a clear understanding of how existing infrastructure performs in practice – not merely in theory.
Key considerations include:
Do doors behave consistently across the site?
Misaligned panic bars, worn hinges, poorly adjusted door closers or sticking door leaves can all compromise safe egress. Under pressure, even minor resistance can cause hesitation or crowding.
Do security and fire-safety strategies align?
In healthcare environments, the balance between containment, patient protection and rapid evacuation is inherently delicate. Escape hardware must support both fire-safety strategies and wider emergency response planning without conflict.
Can staff rely on predictable exit behaviour?
Predictability is critical. In a crisis, uncertainty surrounding door operation or escape routes introduces risk in itself.
Have refurbishments introduced unintended consequences?
Healthcare estates are continually evolving. Department relocations, circulation changes and additional access controls can all affect escape routes, particularly where secure lobbies or zoning strategies are implemented.
Why installation and maintenance matter
Healthcare estates teams already oversee demanding maintenance regimes across diverse and ageing buildings.
Exit doors represent one area where seemingly minor defects can have disproportionate consequences, often only becoming apparent under force or stress.
Correct installation and ongoing maintenance of panic and emergency hardware – as part of a complete doorset – are therefore essential.
Experience is crucial, not simply for compliance, but to ensure reliable performance in real-world conditions.
It is also important to recognise that Martyn’s Law does not introduce a formal compliance certificate or approved installer scheme.
Responsibility remains with duty holders to ensure that systems are appropriate, properly maintained and fit for purpose.
An opportunity for healthcare organisations
Martyn’s Law presents healthcare providers with an opportunity to reassess how their buildings support safe movement and evacuation under pressure.
By 2027, duty holders will be expected to demonstrate a clear understanding of site-specific risks and associated mitigation strategies.
Beginning that process now enables estates teams to identify weaknesses in escape routes, door hardware or maintenance practices and address them in a measured, strategic manner.
For healthcare estates and facilities managers, Martyn’s Law is not about fear or over-engineering.
It is about ensuring that critical building systems perform as expected when it matters most: supporting staff, protecting patients and enabling safe outcomes across complex, publicly accessible environments.