Ryan Walsh, sales director at Ventilux, and Emma Jevons, business development manager (North) speak to Healthcare Property about the importance of good emergency lighting in hospitals and why it should not be treated as a ‘tick-box’ exercise

A sudden power outage in a hospital is not just an inconvenience; it is a moment of chaos that tests the resilience of every system in the building.

Imagine a ward plunged into darkness, patients unsettled and disoriented, staff trying to steady themselves while still caring for those who depend on them.

In a hospital and similar healthcare settings, where the stakes are higher than almost any other environment, emergency lighting is not a background consideration, yet all too often it is approached as a tick-box exercise.

With emergency lighting, compliance standards are often treated as the end goal, when in reality they should only represent the starting point.

Healthcare settings are not like other buildings. Their occupants may be highly vulnerable, unable to move quickly, or even move at all.

Staff may be working in complex, high-pressure environments where any disruption has consequences.

Too often, hospitals are left with legacy systems that scrape through inspections, but may not perform when truly needed

And visitors are often unfamiliar with the building’s layout and may react unpredictably when placed under stress.

In such a setting, the difference between a well-designed emergency lighting system and a poorly-considered one can be the difference between calm evacuation and dangerous confusion.

Technology is not a barrier. The solutions already exist to provide hospitals with resilient, efficient, and intelligent systems.

Advances in LED lighting, long-life batteries, and self-testing systems have transformed what is possible.

We now have luminaires that can test themselves, flag faults automatically, and integrate into wider building management systems.

And hospitals can monitor performance in real time, rather than relying on manual inspections.

The real barrier lies in the mindset.

Too often, hospitals are left with legacy systems that scrape through inspections, but may not perform when truly needed.

Additionally, budget pressures encourage short-term fixes rather than long-term planning.

Systems are patched, fittings replaced in isolation, and documentation filed away until the next audit.

This approach might be enough to meet regulations, but it is not enough to ensure resilience when everything else fails.

To move forward, healthcare leaders need to reframe the way they view emergency lighting.

It is not simply an overhead cost, nor is it just a matter of ticking compliance boxes.

It is a strategic investment in resilience, in patient safety, and in staff confidence.

The right system reduces risk, lowers maintenance burdens, and provides peace of mind if the unexpected happens.

The wrong system, or worse an outdated one, exposes unacceptable levels of risk – both human and legal.

What is required is a culture of future-proofing and accountability.

Instead of asking: “Does this system meet the minimum standards?” we should be saying, “Will this system keep people safe when everything else fails?”

Emergency lighting is far more than a luminaire – it’s a safety promise.

In healthcare environments, where every second counts, trusts need partners who not only supply products, but also bring decades of expertise, foresight, and accountability.

It is not simply an overhead cost, nor is it just a matter of ticking compliance boxes. It is a strategic investment in resilience, in patient safety, and in staff confidence

As healthcare settings and trusts face the dual challenge of tightening budgets and rising patient expectations, there is little room for complacency when it comes to life safety. Emergency lighting should no longer be seen as a compliance exercise but as a critical investment in resilience and trust.

Too often, emergency lighting is undervalued and overlooked, despite being one of the most-critical life safety systems in any building.

The focus shouldn’t just be on the initial capital cost – true safety relies on considering the entire lifecycle, from maintenance and testing through to the resources needed to manage these processes.

An emergency lighting system is only as reliable as its ability to perform in a crisis, and that depends on consistent, compliant upkeep.

In healthcare environments, especially, sustainable and well-planned solutions, supported by realistic maintenance strategies, are essential to safeguarding lives.