Healthcare Chairs UK: How to Choose Patient, Care Home, Bariatric and Waiting Room Seating

The right healthcare chair depends on who will sit in it and for how long: high-back and wing chairs for care home residents, patient chairs and recliners for wards and recovery areas, bariatric chairs for larger users, and stackable or beam seating for waiting rooms. Whatever the setting, choose an impermeable, wipe-clean cover, a frame rated for the user's weight, arms that help people stand, the right seat height and fire-safe upholstery for contract use.

This guide covers the main types of healthcare seating, how to size a chair, which upholstery suits infection control and the fire safety standards to check before you buy.

In this guide

• What types of healthcare chair are there?
• Which chairs suit care homes and day rooms?
• Which chairs suit wards and recovery areas?
• What should you look for in a bariatric chair?
• What seating works best in waiting rooms?
• How do you choose the right seat height and size?
• Which upholstery is best for infection control?
• Which fire safety standards apply?
• Frequently asked questions

What types of healthcare chair are there?

Healthcare seating falls into a handful of types, each designed for a different user and setting.

Chair type	Best for	What to look for
High-back or wing chair	Care home lounges, day rooms, residents who sit for long periods	Head and back support, wings to rest against, firm arms for standing
Patient chair	Wards, bedside, recovery areas	Wipe-clean vinyl, arm grips, optional housekeeping wheels or adjustable legs
Recliner	Bedside, recovery, dialysis or day care	Simple recline control, stable base, upholstery that suits cleaning
Rise and recline chair	People who struggle to stand up from a chair	Powered rise and tilt; needs an occupational therapy or physiotherapy assessment
Bariatric chair	Larger users in any setting	Wider seat, reinforced frame, a stated safe working load
Visitor and waiting room seating	Receptions, waiting areas, clinics	Stackable chairs or beam seating, wipe-clean seats, arms on some seats

Treatment, phlebotomy and podiatry chairs are a separate category for clinical procedures. See our treatment room chairs and stools.

Which chairs suit care homes and day rooms?

Residents in care homes often spend many hours a day in the same chair, so support and posture matter as much as looks. High-back chairs support the whole spine and the head. Wing chairs add side wings that give somewhere to rest the head while dozing and help people who tend to lean.

Look for firm arms that reach the front of the seat, a seat height that lets the resident stand without help where possible, and upholstery that can be wiped down after spills and continence episodes. A homely look matters in lounges, so many care home chairs use wood-effect frames with healthcare vinyl.

For a lighter lounge chair without wings, see the Kingston Lounge Chair.

Which chairs suit wards and recovery areas?

On wards and in recovery areas, patients sit beside the bed for meals, visits and rehabilitation. Patient chairs need to be easy to clean between users, stable when someone pushes up on the arms, and easy for staff to move. Options such as housekeeping wheels or adjustable legs help with cleaning and positioning.

Recliners let patients change position without getting up, which suits recovery rooms, day units and long sessions. A simple lever or a single control is easier for patients to use on their own.

What about rise and recline chairs?

Powered rise and recline chairs lift and tilt forward to help a person stand. According to the Disabled Living Foundation's Living Made Easy guidance, the user still needs enough strength in their legs and trunk not to slip as the chair rises, and anyone with complex seating needs should be assessed by an occupational therapist or physiotherapist before a chair is chosen.

What should you look for in a bariatric chair?

A bariatric chair must be rated for the user's weight with a margin to spare, and wide enough that they can sit comfortably and still use the arms to stand. Check the stated maximum user weight, the seat width and depth, and how the frame is built. Solid hardwood or reinforced steel frames are common.

For bariatric beds, couches, commodes and other furniture, read our guide to bariatric furniture for healthcare settings.

What seating works best in waiting rooms?

Waiting rooms need seating that is quick to clean, hard wearing and flexible. Stackable chairs let you reconfigure the space. Beam or modular seating keeps rows tidy and leaves the floor clear for cleaning. Include some chairs with arms, because many older and less mobile patients rely on them to sit down and stand up.

For smaller spaces and bedside visitor seating, a compact side chair works well.

You can also browse all healthcare chairs, the patient chairs range, or the wider healthcare furniture range.

How do you choose the right seat height and size?

A chair that fits the user is safer and more comfortable. The Living Made Easy factsheet on choosing a chair gives these pointers:

• Seat height: a higher seat makes standing up and sitting down easier. Too high leaves the feet unsupported; too low makes rising harder.
• Seat depth: deep enough to support the full length of the thighs, but not so deep that the person slumps or the seat presses behind the knees.
• Seat width: roughly the width of the person's hips plus about 5cm each side, while still narrow enough to use the arms.
• Armrests: at least as long as the seat, with ends that are easy to grip and level with the front edge of the seat.

For communal areas, a mix of seat heights helps cover residents and patients of different heights. Some chairs offer adjustable or raised legs. Measure the user, and the chair's seat height, depth and width, before you buy.

Which upholstery is best for infection control?

NHS guidance on infection control in the built environment, Health Building Note 00-09, says seating in patient areas should be chosen for ease of cleaning and compatibility with detergents and disinfectants, and covered in an impermeable material, preferably seam-free or heat-sealed. It also notes that fabric which becomes soiled and stained cannot be adequately cleaned and will need replacing.

In practice that means healthcare vinyl or a similar impermeable, wipe-clean cover for most clinical and care settings. Check the manufacturer's cleaning instructions, choose colours that make spills visible, and repair or replace split covers promptly. Many chairs are sold with anti-bacterial or antimicrobial vinyl. HBN 00-09 notes there are not yet definitive data that antimicrobial products reduce healthcare associated infections, so treat them as an addition to regular cleaning, not a replacement.

Which fire safety standards apply?

Upholstered furniture for contract use is normally specified to BS 7176, which sets four hazard levels: low, medium, high and very high. According to SATRA, medium hazard furniture must pass the BS 5852 ignition source 5 test (often called Crib 5), and the NHS Fire Code recommends BS 7176 medium or high hazard for hospital furniture, depending on location. Ask the supplier which hazard level a chair meets, and check with your fire risk assessor if you are unsure what your setting needs.

Frequently asked questions

What is a healthcare chair?

A healthcare chair is seating designed for hospitals, care homes, clinics and waiting rooms. Compared with domestic furniture it usually has a wipe-clean, impermeable cover, a stronger frame, a stated weight capacity, arms that help people stand and fire-safe upholstery for contract use.

What seat height is best for older people?

There is no single right height. The seat should let the person sit with their feet flat on the floor and stand up without straining. A seat that is too low is harder to rise from; one that is too high leaves the feet unsupported. An occupational therapist can measure for people with complex needs.

What fabric is best for chairs in care homes and hospitals?

Choose an impermeable, wipe-clean cover such as healthcare vinyl that can withstand detergents and disinfectants. NHS guidance in HBN 00-09 recommends impermeable coverings, preferably seam-free or heat-sealed, and notes that stained fabric cannot be cleaned properly and has to be replaced.

Do healthcare chairs need to meet fire regulations?

Upholstered furniture in public and contract settings is normally specified to BS 7176. Hospitals typically need medium or high hazard furniture, depending on location. Medium hazard includes the BS 5852 ignition source 5 test, often called Crib 5. Check the specification and labelling before you buy.

What is a bariatric chair?

A bariatric chair is built for larger users, with a wider seat and a reinforced frame rated to a higher safe working load. Always check the stated maximum user weight and seat width against the person who will use it.

Who should use a rise and recline chair?

Rise and recline chairs help people who find it hard to stand up from a normal chair. The user still needs enough leg and trunk strength to stay seated safely as the chair rises, so an assessment by an occupational therapist or physiotherapist is recommended first.

How should healthcare chairs be cleaned?

Follow the manufacturer's instructions and your infection prevention policy. Wipe down vinyl surfaces with a compatible detergent or disinfectant, pay attention to arms and seams, and repair or replace any chair with split or damaged upholstery, because damaged covers cannot be cleaned effectively.

Sources: NHS England, Health Building Note 00-09: Infection control in the built environment; Disabled Living Foundation, Choosing a chair and chair accessories; SATRA, contract furniture fire safety (BS 7176). Product specifications are taken from each manufacturer's product information.