COVER STORY / ADVERTISING FEATURE


Emergency lighting: a critical strategic asset


August 2026 | Volume 80 | Issue 07


Supporting young people through


apprenticeships see page 23


Going back to the future


with PPP see page 51


Capital programmes need whole system


change see page 57


As NHS estates face increasing operational pressure, emergency lighting has evolved far beyond a compliance requirement. P4 explores how self-testing technology, intelligent monitoring, and connected emergency lighting systems are helping healthcare organisations improve resilience, reduce maintenance burdens, and support compliance with BS 5266.


HEJ cover Aug26.indd 1 22/07/2026 15:22


Hospitals never truly sleep. Clinical services operate around the clock, with critical care units, operating theatres, emergency departments, and diagnostic facilities relying on uninterrupted infrastructure to provide safe, effective care. While backup generators and uninterruptible power supplies often dominate resilience planning, one essential system is frequently overlooked until it is needed most: emergency lighting. For NHS estates and facilities teams, emergency


lighting has traditionally been viewed as a statutory requirement. Today, however, ageing infrastructure, workforce pressures, rising energy costs, and greater scrutiny of operational resilience have transformed it into a strategic asset that supports patient safety, operational continuity, and efficient estate management.


Below: Mercury II is a high output surface- mounted luminaire for emergency lighting.


Below right: the BiLED2 surface-mounted emergency downlight.


More than compliance The primary purpose of emergency lighting remains unchanged: to provide sufficient illumination during the failure of normal power supplies, enabling occupants to evacuate safely, identify escape routes, and continue essential activities where appropriate. In healthcare environments, however, the consequences of inadequate lighting extend well beyond evacuation. Clinical staff may need to complete life-saving procedures, transfer vulnerable patients, administer medication, or maintain the safe operation of specialist equipment while power systems are restored. Even brief periods of poor visibility can increase risks for patients and staff alike.


Modern healthcare facilities are also significantly more complex than many buildings covered by standard emergency lighting guidance. Large acute hospitals often comprise multiple buildings, specialist departments, underground plant areas, laboratories, and public spaces, each presenting unique lighting and evacuation challenges. Designing and maintaining effective emergency lighting therefore requires a detailed understanding of both regulatory requirements and clinical operations.


Building resilience in healthcare estates The NHS continues to invest in creating more resilient estates capable of responding to changing healthcare demands, climate-related events, and infrastructure failures. Resilience is no longer simply about recovering from disruption – it is about ensuring critical services continue operating safely throughout an incident. Emergency lighting contributes to this resilience in


several important ways. It supports the safe movement of patients, staff, and the public throughout healthcare environments during incidents, while ensuring engineers can safely access plant rooms, electrical switchgear, and service corridors to investigate faults and restore services. Alongside fire detection, standby power generation, and evacuation procedures, emergency lighting also forms an integral part of emergency preparedness, helping protect people, maintain critical services, and strengthen overall risk management.


The challenge of maintaining compliance Maintaining compliance across a large healthcare estate is rarely straightforward. Hundreds, or even thousands, of emergency luminaires may be installed across wards, outpatient departments, theatres, offices, and external routes. Each emergency luminaire must be tested in accordance with BS 5266, including regular functional tests and an annual full rated duration test. Traditionally,


engineers have carried this out manually by isolating circuits,


observing fittings, and recording results.


Across large healthcare estates, this is time consuming, resource intensive, and increases


the risk of human error, incomplete records, or delayed fault identification.


6 Health Estate Journal August 2026


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