Specialist Door Solutions (SDS) were delighted to welcome NHS estates teams, contractors, architects and industry leaders into the SDS London Hub in November for a lively Breakfast Forum focused on one of the biggest topics shaping healthcare construction today: the Building Safety Act (BSA).
The session brought together an impressive mix of voices from across the sector, including representatives from Hunters Architects, Kier Construction, McLaughlin & Harvey, the Building Safety Alliance and multiple NHS Trusts. What followed was an honest, open conversation about what’s working, what’s challenging, and how we can work better together under the new regulatory landscape.
Download our BSA summary paper
If you’d like to dive deeper into the discussion, you can watch the full session recording here and read our detailed summary paper (download button below) providing an overview of the key outcomes and insights from the forum.
A sector under pressure, and ready to change.
The BSA is already having a major impact on healthcare projects, and the panel agreed on one thing very quickly: this legislation is forcing the industry to rethink some long-standing habits.
Several speakers emphasised that the Act isn’t simply another layer of regulation, it’s a wake-up call for everyone involved in designing, making, installing or approving building safety-critical elements.
As one panellist put it:
“The Building Safety Act is deliberately disruptive. And that’s exactly why we need it.”
Gateway 2: tough but transformative.
There was plenty of discussion around the practical realities of navigating Gateway 2. The speaker panel shared first-hand experiences of what the regulator is asking for: far more detail, far earlier, and with far fewer assumptions.
Key takeaways included:
- Gateway 2 submissions now require full, coordinated, tested detail, not high-level drawings.
- The process is taking longer than expected, sometimes significantly longer.
- Earlier contractor involvement is no longer a “nice to have”, it’s essential.
- Healthcare refurbishments face unique challenges due to limited access and the unknowns hidden in older estates.
While it’s adding pressure to programmes, many noted that it’s also raising standards, improving collaboration and helping everyone make better decisions earlier.
Competence: the recurring theme of the morning.
The topic of competence, individual and organisational, came up again and again.
Anthony Taylor, Chair from the Building Safety Alliance, shared how the industry is now under greater scrutiny not just for what it builds, but how it builds. That means:
- Better training
- Better processes
- Better behaviours
- And a stronger willingness to challenge unsafe decisions
Contractors also highlighted the need to ensure supply chains are genuinely competent, not just on paper. Product substitutions, unclear test evidence and vague specifications are becoming unacceptable risks under the BSA.
Why collaboration matters more than ever.
Something SDS were especially pleased to hear (and see reflected in our own projects) is the growing shift toward earlier, more joined-up working.
Many attendees shared great examples of:
- Designers, contractors and manufacturers working together earlier in projects, at Stage 2/3
- Bringing BSA-critical packages (like fire doors) forward in the programme
- Workshops where teams tackle interface challenges long before installation
- NHS Trusts taking a proactive role in quality assurance
It’s clear that collaboration is no longer optional, it’s the only way to meet the BSA requirements without derailing budgets and programmes.
Healthcare estates: a unique challenge.
One topic that resonated strongly was the pressure placed on existing healthcare buildings. With so much of the NHS estate built decades ago, the Act creates some tough questions about what “compliance” looks like in ageing facilities.
There was broad agreement that the sector needs clearer guidance and, crucially, better funding routes to tackle legacy issues safely and efficiently.
A positive step forward.
Despite the challenges, the feeling in the room was overwhelmingly optimistic. The BSA is pushing the industry to work smarter, design better and communicate more openly. And that can only be a good thing for the people who occupy healthcare buildings every day, patients, staff and visitors.
As SDS Strategic Partnership Director, Russell James, noted during the event:
“The best way through this is together. The BSA is giving us the opportunity to raise the bar right across healthcare construction.”
Find out more.
We would like to thank all the speakers and attendees for their contributions to this rich discussion.
If you’d like to dive deeper into the discussion, you can watch the full session recording here and read our detailed summary paper providing an overview of the key outcomes and insights from the forum. Both resources are available to help project teams, designers, contractors and estates professionals navigate the evolving requirements of the Building Safety Act with clarity and confidence.
Continuing the conversation.
We’re committed to continuing these conversations and bringing the industry together to help navigate the Building Safety Act with confidence, whether through forums like this or through the support we provide every day on healthcare projects across the UK.
If you’d like to join our next event or find out more about how SDS is supporting healthcare partners, please get in touch at sales@specialistdoorsolutions.com.
SDS’s next event is the NHS Estates Fire Safety Forum, taking place on Wednesday 21st January 2026. You can find out more and register to attend here.