Fire safety for GP
surgeries & health centres.Properly assessed, from £295.
A GP surgery has a fire safety picture that is completely different from a care home. Patients are mostly ambulant and present for daytime appointments. But the practice is the employer, the building is often leased from NHS Property Services or a primary care network landlord, and the regulatory frameworks for fire safety and premises compliance intersect in ways that catch many practice managers off guard. We carry out fire risk assessments for GP surgeries, health centres, and primary care premises across the North West and North Wales.
Who is the Responsible Person?
In a GP surgery the duty sits with the employer, but the building arrangements often complicate it.
The GP partners, as the employer operating the practice, are the Responsible Person under fire safety law. In a partnership the duty sits with the partnership, and all partners carry legal accountability.
Where the surgery occupies NHS Property Services premises or premises owned by an integrated care board, the landlord holds responsibility for the building fabric and common areas, while the practice as tenant carries the employer duty for its own areas and its staff and patients.
In a health centre with multiple NHS tenants, each employer is responsible for their own area, and the building landlord is responsible for common areas. Co-operation between responsible persons is required by law.
GP practices are registered with the CQC and inspected under the safe domain, which includes premises safety. Fire safety documentation, including the fire risk assessment, is reviewed at inspection.
The problems we
hear most often
Fire safety in a GP practice is usually managed by the practice manager alongside everything else. These are the gaps we find most regularly.
"We have never had a proper fire risk assessment done. The building is managed by NHS Property Services and we assumed they covered it, but it turns out they cover the fabric and we cover our own area and our staff."
This is the most common misunderstanding we encounter with GP practices in NHS-managed buildings. NHS Property Services covers the building fabric and common areas, but the GP practice as employer is the responsible person for its own clinical and administrative areas and for the safety of its staff and patients. A current, competently produced fire risk assessment for the practice's own areas is the employer's responsibility, not the landlord's.
"Our CQC inspection flagged premises safety and mentioned fire safety documentation. We need to produce evidence of compliance before the next inspection."
CQC inspection of a GP practice under the safe domain examines premises safety including fire safety documentation. We produce a fire risk assessment specifically structured to address a CQC safe domain finding, with a clear action log and evidence of the practice's compliance posture, in a format the inspector can work with.
"We have a treatment room, a minor surgery room, and we keep medical gases on site. I am not sure whether DSEAR applies to us."
Where a GP surgery stores oxygen cylinders, Entonox, or other medical gases on site, DSEAR applies and requires a risk assessment of those arrangements alongside the fire risk assessment. The two must be aligned. We assess medical gas storage as a specific element of the fire risk assessment and advise on whether a DSEAR assessment is required.
What makes GP surgeries
different to assess
A GP surgery's risk profile is distinct from both offices and care homes. The patient population, the medical equipment, and the building arrangements all shape the assessment.
Vulnerable and ambulant but unpredictable
GP surgery patients include the elderly, the chronically ill, young children, and people in acute distress or on medication that affects their responses. Unlike an office, the patient population changes throughout the day and includes people who may not respond reliably to an evacuation.
Oxygen, Entonox & nitrous oxide
Most GP practices store oxygen cylinders for emergency use, and some hold Entonox or nitrous oxide for minor procedures. Medical gases dramatically accelerate fire spread and intensity, and storage location, quantities, and proximity to ignition sources must be specifically assessed. DSEAR applies where gases are stored.
Alcohol gels and clinical fire load
Treatment rooms, minor surgery suites, and dressing rooms contain hand sanitisers, alcohol-based cleaning products, clinical waste, and pharmaceutical items, all of which add to the fire load and require specific attention in their location relative to escape routes and ignition sources.
NHS landlord and practice employer split
Most GP practices occupy premises where the duty for fire safety is split between the landlord and the tenant. The practice as employer carries the duty for its areas; the landlord carries it for common areas and the fabric. This split is frequently misunderstood and must be explicitly documented.
Shared premises and co-operating RPs
In a health centre with multiple NHS tenants, multiple responsible persons operate in the same building and must co-operate to ensure the whole building's fire safety is coherent. Gaps appear at the boundaries between tenancies.
Old wiring and high equipment loads
Older GP premises often have electrical infrastructure that was not designed for the equipment load of a modern clinical practice. The electrical fire risk, including the adequacy of wiring and the management of equipment, needs to be assessed.
NHS Property Services premises — who is responsible for what
Where a GP practice occupies NHS Property Services premises, the duty for fire safety is split. NHS Property Services, as landlord, is responsible for the building fabric, the common areas, and the services that run through the building. The GP practice, as tenant and employer, is responsible for a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment for its own clinical and administrative areas, the safety of its staff and patients, and the measures it implements in those areas. This split is frequently misunderstood, and many practices have assumed they are covered by the landlord's assessment when they are not. We produce a practice-specific assessment that covers the areas the practice is responsible for, and set out the split with the landlord clearly.
Three services.
One point of contact.
Fire risk assessments, fire door inspections, and fire safety training, delivered by one company that understands the primary care environment and the NHS building arrangements.
Fire risk assessments
From £295 per assessmentA thorough, practice-specific assessment covering the clinical areas, medical gas storage, the landlord and tenant split, and any multi-tenancy co-operation requirements. Clear written report suitable for the CQC safe domain and the fire authority.
- Practice areas assessed separately from landlord areas
- Medical gas storage and DSEAR position assessed
- Clinical areas and treatment rooms covered
- Landlord and tenant duty split documented
- Multi-tenancy co-operation requirements identified
- Written report suitable for CQC safe domain
Fire door inspections
From £14 per doorGP surgery fire doors on clinical areas, escape routes, and common areas need to function reliably in a building with constant patient traffic. We inspect every component and give you a clear, photographed condition record.
- Frame, leaf, intumescent seals, hinges & hardware
- Self-closing devices and smoke seals
- Clinical area, corridor, and final exit doors
- Photographic evidence per door
- Prioritised remedial recommendations
Fire safety training
From £395 per sessionPractical fire safety training for GPs, nurses, receptionists, and practice staff, focused on the primary care environment including patient evacuation and managing vulnerable patients in an emergency.
- Fire marshal training for practice staff
- Evacuating patients including the elderly and those with mobility needs
- Medical gas emergency procedures
- Hands-on extinguisher use on a live fire
- Certificates issued to all attendees
The framework
GP surgeries work within
A GP practice answers to the fire authority as employer, to the CQC under its registration, and where medical gases are stored, to DSEAR.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to all GP surgeries as non-domestic premises. The GP partners as employer are the Responsible Person and must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment for the areas under their control, implement the measures it identifies, and keep a written record. This duty applies regardless of whether the building is NHS-owned or NHS-managed.
CQC inspection of GP practices under the safe domain includes premises safety and fire safety documentation. A current fire risk assessment, together with evidence that actions have been taken, is part of the evidence base a practice needs to support a good or outstanding rating. The CQC uses its own assessment framework but will reference fire safety compliance with the fire safety order.
Where the practice stores or uses medical gases, the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) apply. A DSEAR risk assessment is required for the gas storage arrangements, and it must be aligned with the fire risk assessment. HTM 07-01, the Department of Health guidance on the management of medical gases, sets out the safety arrangements the practice should have in place.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Always appliesGP partners as employer are the Responsible Person for their areas. Must carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment regardless of building ownership or management.
CQC safe domain
CQC registrationPremises safety including fire safety is assessed at every CQC inspection. A current, well-documented assessment supports the evidence base for a good or outstanding rating.
DSEAR 2002
Medical gasesApplies where medical gases are stored or used. Requires a DSEAR risk assessment aligned with the fire risk assessment. HTM 07-01 sets out the safety arrangements required for medical gas management.
NHS Property Services obligations
NHS premisesWhere premises are NHS-managed, the duty is split between the landlord and the tenant. The practice carries the duty for its own areas and must not assume the landlord's assessment covers them.
Experience you can
put in a report.
Tim founded Fletcher Risk Management to bring genuine expertise and personal accountability to fire safety consultancy in the North West. With more than 30 years in the fire industry, he has assessed GP surgeries and primary care premises across the region. He understands the NHS building arrangements, the CQC inspection framework, and the medical gas picture that catches many practices off guard. When you book with Fletcher Risk, Tim carries out the work.
- ABBE Level 4 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment
- NEBOSH National General Certificate
- FPA Fire Safety Management Certificate
- Member — Fire Protection Association
Sam oversees operations and brings both fire safety qualifications and a legal background to the practice. For care providers navigating CQC action plans alongside fire authority requirements, Sam's LLB gives him a thorough understanding of where those frameworks interact, and how to produce documentation that satisfies both.
- ABBE Level 4 Certificate in Fire Risk Assessment
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- 10+ years fire safety experience
"We have engaged Fletcher Risk Management to carry out surveys on a number of our sites for a very important client. The work produced exceeded our expectations by far. I would definitely recommend using this company." — Marie Morgan · EIS Ltd ★★★★★
"Without doubt one of the best and most professional businesses I have used for our Fire Risk Assessment. Tim Fletcher is a highly regarded professional in his field. Don't take a chance — protect your staff, protect your building."
"We have engaged Fletcher Risk Management to carry out surveys on a number of our sites. I would never hesitate to send Tim — always professional, friendly and accommodating. The work exceeded our expectations."
"Thorough, professional, and excellent value. The report was clear and the action points prioritised in a way that made it easy to know exactly what to tackle first. Would recommend without hesitation."
Book an assessment
built for your practice.
Whether you are in NHS Property Services premises, responding to a CQC safe domain finding, or need to address your medical gas storage, we can help. Call us for an honest conversation with no obligation.