Hospital Curtains UK: Disposable vs Fabric, Changing and Sizing Guide

Hospital cubicle curtains are either disposable, single-use curtains that are thrown away at each change, or reusable fabric curtains that are taken down and laundered. There is no single national changing interval in the UK. Sites set their own programme based on the risk of each area, using the National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2025, and change any curtain immediately if it is visibly soiled. Disposable curtains usually come in set widths with a drop of about 2m, and need the right hooks or gliders for your track.

This guide compares disposable and fabric curtains, explains antimicrobial curtains, sets out what the guidance says about changing them, and covers sizes, hooks, tracks and mobile screens.

In this guide

• What are hospital cubicle curtains?
• Disposable or reusable fabric curtains: which should you choose?
• Do antimicrobial curtains reduce infection risk?
• How often should hospital curtains be changed?
• What size hospital curtain do you need?
• Which hooks and gliders fit your track?
• What if you have no curtain track?
• How do you change a disposable curtain?
• Frequently asked questions

What are hospital cubicle curtains?

Cubicle curtains, also called privacy curtains or medical curtains, hang from ceiling tracks around beds, trolleys and examination couches. They give patients privacy during examinations, treatment and personal care on wards, in A&E bays, GP consulting rooms, clinics and care homes.

Because they are touched many times a day by staff, patients and visitors, curtains are a recognised infection control concern. In a US study at the University of Iowa, researchers followed 43 new privacy curtains and found that 41 of them became contaminated at least once, most of them within a week, including with MRSA and VRE. That is why how often curtains are changed, and what they are made of, matters.

Disposable or reusable fabric curtains: which should you choose?

The Care Quality Commission says curtains around examination couches in GP practices may be either disposable or reusable. The choice depends on your infection prevention policy, your laundry arrangements and your budget.

	Disposable curtains	Reusable fabric curtains	Mobile ward screens
What it is	Single-use non-woven polypropylene curtain, thrown away at each change	Woven fabric curtain, taken down and laundered	Free-standing folding frame with curtains or solid panels
Antimicrobial option	Common: many are made with an antimicrobial treatment built into the material	Some fabrics are treated; check the specification	Depends on the curtain or panel fitted
Changing	Unclip, bin and hang a new one. No laundry needed	Needs spare sets, staff time and a laundry service	Change the curtain or wipe the panels
Tracking changes	Many have a date label to record when they went up	Needs a separate log	Some curtains have a date label
Best for	Wards, A&E bays, GP and clinic rooms with ceiling tracks	Sites with an in-house or contracted laundry service	Rooms without tracks, flexible spaces, extra privacy on demand

Disposable curtains are now common in GP surgeries, clinics and many hospital wards because a change takes a few minutes, there is no laundry to organise and no spare sets to store. Reusable fabric curtains can work well where a laundry service is already in place, but you need enough spare sets to swap them on schedule.

Do antimicrobial curtains reduce infection risk?

Antimicrobial curtains have a treatment built into the material that reduces bacteria on the fabric. Manufacturers test this in the laboratory. For example, the Fantex curtains we stock are stated to kill 99.9% (log 3) of bacteria within one minute when tested to BS EN ISO 20743, and Marlux curtains use Microban antibacterial technology built in during manufacture.

These treatments help keep a curtain cleaner between changes. They do not replace hand hygiene, routine changing or cleaning of the bed space, and they should be part of your wider infection prevention plan rather than a reason to change curtains less often than your policy requires.

How often should hospital curtains be changed?

There is no single fixed interval for every setting. In England, the National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2025 (NHS England) assign each area a functional risk category, from FR1 (highest risk) to FR6. Your curtain changing programme should follow the risk of each area.

As a guide, one NHS community infection prevention team's quick reference for general practice, based on the 2025 standards, gives these minimum intervals where there is no local curtain changing programme:

• FR1 and FR2: at least every six months
• FR3: at least once a year
• FR4 to FR6: at least every two years

In every category, curtains, blinds and screens that are visibly soiled should be changed or cleaned immediately. The CQC takes the same position for GP practices: it does not set a fixed schedule, expects practices to assess the risk and follow their own protocol, and says curtains should be changed immediately if visibly soiled or stained.

Many hospitals change curtains more often than these minimums, for example after a patient with a known infection is discharged or as part of a terminal clean. Always follow your local policy. Record every change: many disposable curtains, including Marlux, have a date label for this.

What size hospital curtain do you need?

Disposable curtains are sold in set widths with a standard drop, so measure each run of track first.

• Marlux: 1.8m, 4.2m and 7.2m widths, with a standard drop of 1.95m.
• Fantex: 2.4m, 4.5m and 7.5m widths, with a 2m drop.

Smaller widths suit single sides, examination couches and small bays. The longest widths are for screening a full bed space on one run of track. Check the height of your track above the floor against the drop, so the curtain gives full privacy without trailing on the floor.

Also available: the Marlux 1.8m Uni-Glide curtain for small bays, and the Fantex 7.5m U-Fit curtain for full bed bays.

Which hooks and gliders fit your track?

Before you order, check how curtains attach to your track. Getting this right makes changes quick and stops curtains snagging.

• Marlux Uni-Glide: pop-in, stackable gliders designed to fit standard curtain track systems without converting the track, so curtains can be loaded and unloaded quickly.
• Marlux hooks: Fast Fit track glide hooks for Marlux universal curtains, seahorse hooks that clip onto the track rail, and classic Uni-Glide lollipop hooks for Uni-Glide tracks. All come in packs of 200.
• Fantex: made in C-Fit, E-Fit and U-Fit versions. Check which fitting your track uses.

If you are not sure which system you have, take a photo of a hook and the track and contact us before ordering.

What if you have no curtain track?

Mobile ward screens give privacy where there is no ceiling track, or where you need extra screening for a short time. They fold flat for storage and move on castors.

Other options include the Reliance four-fold medical screen with detachable curtains, and the Bristol Maid solid panel privacy screen, which has wipe-clean laminate panels instead of curtains.

How do you change a disposable curtain?

1. Prepare: clean your hands and put on the personal protective equipment your policy requires.
2. Remove: unhook the old curtain, fold it inwards on itself to keep the patient side contained, and dispose of it in the correct waste stream for your area.
3. Clean: clean the track and the surrounding area as your cleaning schedule requires.
4. Hang: fit the new curtain with the correct hooks or gliders and check it runs smoothly.
5. Record: write the date on the curtain label and in your changing log.

Used curtains from patient areas may count as healthcare waste. Our clinical waste categories guide explains the main waste streams.

Frequently asked questions

How often should hospital curtains be changed?

There is no single national interval. Follow your local curtain changing programme, which should be based on the functional risk category of each area under the National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2025, and change any curtain immediately if it is visibly soiled. One NHS infection prevention team's quick reference for general practice suggests minimums of six-monthly in the highest risk categories, annually in FR3 and every two years in FR4 to FR6 where no local programme applies.

Are disposable hospital curtains better than fabric curtains?

Neither is required by the CQC, which says curtains around examination couches may be disposable or reusable. Disposable curtains remove the need for laundry and spare sets, and many have antimicrobial treatment and a date label. Fabric curtains suit sites with a reliable laundry service. Choose what your infection prevention policy and budget support.

Do antimicrobial curtains stop infections?

Antimicrobial curtains are treated so that bacteria on the fabric are reduced in laboratory tests, for example to BS EN ISO 20743. They help keep the curtain cleaner between changes, but they do not replace hand hygiene, regular changes or cleaning the area around the bed.

What size are hospital curtains?

Disposable curtains are usually sold in set widths with a standard drop. Marlux curtains come in 1.8m, 4.2m and 7.2m widths with a 1.95m drop, and Fantex curtains in 2.4m, 4.5m and 7.5m widths with a 2m drop. Measure each run of track before ordering.

Do disposable curtains fit my existing track?

Check the hook or glider system. Marlux Uni-Glide curtains use pop-in stackable gliders designed to fit standard curtain track systems without conversion, and separate hooks are available for other tracks. Fantex curtains come in C-Fit, E-Fit and U-Fit versions, so check which fitting your track needs.

Do hospital curtains need to be fire retardant?

Fire safety is part of your site's fire risk assessment. Healthcare curtains are commonly specified to BS 5867-2 Type C, and the Marlux and Fantex disposable curtains we stock list their fire performance, such as BS 5867, in their specifications.

When should a curtain be changed straight away?

Change it immediately if it is visibly soiled or stained. Many sites also change curtains after a patient with a known infection has been discharged or after terminal cleaning of a bay, as set out in their local policy.

Sources: NHS England, National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2025; Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust Community Infection Prevention and Control, Curtain changing or disposal frequency for general practice (May 2026); Care Quality Commission, GP mythbuster 99: infection prevention and control in general practice; Ohl and colleagues, University of Iowa, study of privacy curtain contamination (report); manufacturer product information. Always follow your local infection prevention policy.