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Anti-Ligature Products
Innovations and Design Approaches in Mental Health Environments
Anti-Ligature Doors
Anti-ligature doors are designed to prevent people from using door fixtures and fittings to harm themselves or others by tying a ligature around the door handle or other parts of the door. They are commonly used in Mental Health care facilities, detention centres, and generally high-risk environments with a risk of suicide or self-harm. Anti-ligature doors may have special features such as hidden hinges, tamper-proof hardware, and smooth surfaces to reduce the risk of harm.
With our En-suite Doors, for example - if a weight of more than 3 kg is applied, the saloon-style swing door leaves will detach, failing the ligature attempt. The en-suite door is more pleasant, dignified and safe than the shower curtains. The carer can see the patient's head and feet in the shower (with their body covered). With the space below and above the door - they can check on the patient without interrupting or disturbing them.
Anti-Ligature Door Handles
Anti-ligature door handles can come in different levels of strength and are designed to be robust, durable and tested for suitability in Mental Health facilities for their high ligature resistance. These handles should withstand tying of fabric, rope or any other material to reduce the risk of self-harm and suicide attempts by patients.
These door handles are made of solid metal and smooth to the touch so that ligature attempts can not stick. Anti-ligature door handles can be fitted to new doors in newbuilds or retrofitted in Mental Health facility renovations and retrofits.
Full Door Ligature-Alarm
Nearly half of all inpatient suicides in Mental Health facilities involve using the door or door hardware. Therefore, it is critical to have warning and intervention systems in place.
Safehinge Primera has developed a pioneering full-door ligature alarm system that acts as a weighing scale for loads exceeding 5 kg. When patients tie a ligature around their neck or body and apply pressure, the door's weight is affected, and sensors alert staff.
This alarm is a safety feature used in Mental Health facilities and other high-risk settings to notify ward staff of potential self-harm incidents and enable prompt intervention to reduce harm to the patient. A ligature alarm aims to minimise the risk of self-harm or suicide ligature attempts by providing early warning and intervention.
Why are Anti-Ligature Door Handles and Doorsets especially important?
According to the 2022 National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health, prepared by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, most in-patient suicides result from hanging or strangulation in a single bedroom (62%) or in a bathroom (29%). Other stats concerning doors and windows from the report:
- The most common ligature points are doors - 49% Or windows - 10%
- The most common ligatures are a belt - 35% Or sheets/towels - 24%
The door is an essential consideration for a Mental Health patient as it represents privacy, dignity, and empowerment. Creating a normal environment is crucial in enabling patients to succeed in their recovery journey. As clinical teams cannot always be everywhere, providing additional observation options through effective door design can significantly aid clinicians in caring for their patients more effectively.
Safehinge Primera door sets are built to withstand extreme abuse - solid laminated hardwood doors are designed with both robustness and safety in mind. The durable PVC facings reduce damage when they are under attack. For the patient's safety, no hardware protrudes to cause risk of injury or self-harm.
Our design and research-led approach helps us create a unique balance of aesthetics, safety and robustness. Rigorously tested to withstand the abuse, our non-institutional door sets are designed explicitly for inclusive Mental Health units that aid recovery.
Find out more about our creating an anti-ligature Mental Health environment.
Anti-Ligature Window Handles
Anti-Ligature window handles have a unique design, making it difficult for patients in Mental Health facilities to attach ligatures (fabric, belts, scarfs, bedding, chords etc.), reducing the risk of harm to them or others.
Window handles can be added in Mental Health facilities to immediately impact the safety and security of patients on the ward. These can be fitted to new build projects or retrofitted to existing Mental Health facilities to increase patient safety.
Because they are designed specifically for Mental Health anti-ligature purposes, they are robust and durable. They can give patients more freedom than the more traditional locked window options.
We offer four options for anti-ligature window handles:
- Lifeline Keyward Window Handle - a staff-only key keeping clinical staff in control.
- Camlock Window Handle - a simple, tried and tested handle known as ‘keyed alike’.
- Standard Push/Pull Window Handle - for windows with no locking mechanism.
- Convertible Window Handle - providing flexibility on the ward to enhance patient safety and security.
Anti-ligature Hooks
An anti-ligature hooks, such as our anti-ligature coat hook, are designed to minimise the risk of self-harm or suicide by individuals in facilities such as hospitals, psychiatric wards, and prisons. These hooks are typically designed with rounded edges and are flush-mounted to the wall, reducing the possibility of attaching a ligature to the hook for self-harm purposes.
The hook prevents the attachment of ligatures (i.e. ropes, chords, material, clothing or other items used for hanging). In day-to-day life on the ward, service users would use these plastic, u-shaped hooks to hold bags, clothing, and bathroom items. When the weight on the hooks exceeds a certain amount (5 kg), the hook will release any item it holds.
Anti-ligature Shower Curtains and Shower Rails
An anti-ligature shower curtain is a specialised shower curtain designed to prevent individuals from using it to self-harm by creating a noose or ligature. It typically features reinforced grommets or eyelets to prevent tearing and is made from tear-resistant, flame-retardant and non-absorbent materials to reduce the risk of a ligature forming.
Designers make anti-ligature shower rails from durable, tamper-resistant materials that can withstand heavy use and resist damage.
These typically feature a unique design that eliminates potential ligature points - any areas where a person can attach a cord, rope, or other material to hang themselves.
We supply load-release anti-ligature fittings, including shower tracks and curtain tracks.
Anti-Ligature Lighting
Anti-ligature lighting considers the parts of a light that could be tampered with, including any fabric or material that protrudes, as a crucial element of the architectural design process. While architects and designers aim to achieve adequate lighting and energy efficiency, they must also prioritise smooth and flush designs that prevent patients from using protruding parts to self-harm.
Lighting is an essential aspect of the sensory environment within Mental Health facilities and can significantly impact patients' sleep and rest. Therefore, anti-ligature lighting must be considered in designing new Mental Health facilities and renovating existing ones.
Anti-Ligature Materials and Clothing
Safety for the wearer is the key goal behind the engineering of anti-ligature clothing. It tends to be comfortable yet fire-retardant, strong, sturdy, and anti-tear (or un-rippable) to ensure that the fabric can’t be destroyed and turned into a ligature.
This is another attempt to ensure that Mental Health patients can not use ligature points in a ward to cause harm to themselves.
Designers can use this material for clothing like pyjamas, bedwear, bed linen such as pillows, blankets and mattresses, and kitchen and dining wear.
Meet Doora, our product training vehicle.
If you’d like to see our life-saving products for Mental Health services in action, you can book a visit from ‘Doora’, our mobile showroom, to your facility.
Learn about the life-saving details of our doors and how they balance physical & psychological safety to support Mental Health patients through vulnerable times.
