Healthcare lighting solutions for NHS hospitals and facilities
Connected Light provides healthcare lighting solutions for NHS hospitals, clinics and specialist healthcare facilities. Our NHS lighting support covers surveys, design, LED upgrades, lighting controls, emergency lighting and commissioning, with solutions developed around the needs of each building and project team. Healthcare lighting involves more than selecting efficient fittings. It must provide appropriate visibility for staff, support visual comfort for patients and visitors, meet safety and compliance requirements, and remain practical to maintain. We work with estates teams, facilities managers, M&E consultants and contractors to plan lighting projects around clinical activity, access restrictions, budgets and long-term estate priorities.
Bradley Stoke Community School
UWE The Foundry
Frampton Cotterell Primary School
Southmead Hospital – NICU
Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
Turnkey LED Lighting Transformation for RAC
ETS Offices
Integrity Print
Royal Portbury Dock
Compliance & Control, Lecture Theatre, University of Bath
Great American Bristol Lighting for ETS Group
Dynamic Lighting Design for Body Focus Fitness, Bristol
Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
Multi-Subway Lighting Upgrade
Millennium Square Car Park
Flexible Lighting Control Brings New Life to St George’s Bristol
Upgrade at Freemasons’ Hall Enhances Heritage Experience
Striking Portico Lighting Upgrade at Freemasons’ Hall
Diana Porter Contemporary Jewellery
Mccoll’s Retail Group
Ashton Gate Stadium Sports Retail Outlet
Healthcare lighting solutions for demanding environments
Lighting requirements can vary significantly across a healthcare building. Patient rooms and wards need controllable lighting for daytime activity, staff tasks and overnight care, while examination and treatment spaces require clear illumination and appropriate colour rendering. Corridors, reception areas, offices, external routes and support spaces each present different operational and safety considerations.
Effective professional lighting design considers illumination levels, glare, uniformity, visual comfort and how the space will be used throughout the day. It should also account for hygiene, cleanability, maintenance access and the position of other building services.
Connected Light develops healthcare lighting design schemes around the needs of each environment rather than applying the same approach to lighting for hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout an entire estate. This helps ensure that lighting supports clinical tasks, patient comfort, safe movement and efficient building operation
LED lighting upgrades for NHS estates
Many NHS facilities still contain ageing fluorescent lighting that is inefficient, difficult to maintain or no longer suited to the way spaces are used. A planned LED lighting upgrade can reduce energy consumption, improve lighting consistency and lower ongoing maintenance requirements.
The need for lifecycle planning has become more pressing since RoHS exemptions for several fluorescent lamp types expired on 1 February 2024, including exemptions covering common T5, T8 and T12 lamps.
An effective LED lighting programme should not simply replace fittings like for like. Light levels, controls, emergency lighting, maintenance access and the requirements of each space should be reviewed first. In some settings, suitable luminaires may be retained and adapted through renewable lighting solutions, reducing waste and disruption.
For applicable NHS capital projects, upgrade plans may also support the energy-performance and estate-resilience objectives set out in the NHS Net Zero Building Standard.
Hospital lighting retrofit with carefully managed disruption
Lighting upgrades in operational hospitals require detailed planning. Access may be restricted by clinical schedules, infection-control procedures, patient needs and the availability of individual departments. Noise, temporary arrangements and the movement of contractors and equipment must also be considered.
Surveys and early discussions with estates teams, consultants and contractors allow the hospital lighting retrofit to be divided into practical phases around the needs of the facility.
Where appropriate, installation can be planned for quieter periods or completed out of hours. Each phase should then be tested and commissioned before the next area is addressed. Although disruption cannot always be eliminated, careful programming, clear communication and coordinated turn-key project delivery can help control its impact on staff, patients and essential healthcare activity.
Hospital lighting controls and energy management
Well-designed hospital lighting controls can reduce unnecessary energy use while giving clinical and facilities teams practical control over each space. Occupancy detection, daylight-linked dimming, zoning and scheduling can prevent lighting from operating at full output when rooms or circulation areas are unoccupied.
Control strategies may include scene setting, staff overrides, DALI, wireless controls and central monitoring. The correct approach depends on the building, its infrastructure and the activities within each area. Automation should make lighting easier to manage without restricting staff or creating unnecessary complexity for patients and other users.
Connected Light supports the design, configuration and commissioning of lighting controls, including the assessment and recommissioning of existing systems that are no longer operating effectively. Our smart lighting control systems expertise covers wired and wireless technologies, supported by clear handover information and user training.
Connected systems should also be considered within wider digital governance and cybersecurity planning. Connected Light holds Cyber Essentials certification. Where the work falls within its scope, efficient fittings, suitable controls and effective commissioning should be considered against the applicable Part L guidance for buildings other than dwellings.
Emergency lighting for hospitals and NHS facilities
Dependable emergency lighting is essential across complex healthcare estates, where escape routes may pass through corridors, stairways, changes of level and areas used by patients with different mobility or support needs.
Connected Light can assess existing systems, develop emergency lighting designs and identify remedial work where installations no longer provide the required coverage or performance. Support can include testing, maintenance planning, measured photometric verification and the preparation of clear records for handover and ongoing estate management.
BS 5266-1:2025 expands the guidance across emergency escape, local area and standby lighting, with clearer expectations around system resilience, photometric verification, testing and documentation.
Connected Light provides emergency lighting compliance support and holds BAFE SP203-4 certification. Our experience also includes working with NHS fire improvement teams on assessment, design and remedial programmes.
Healthcare lighting requirements can change considerably between daytime activity, evening use and overnight care. Human-centric and circadian lighting approaches use changes in light level and colour temperature to create lighting conditions that respond more closely to the time of day and the needs of each space.
Tunable-white lighting, local control and carefully planned scenes can support greater flexibility for patients and staff. They may help create a more comfortable environment while still providing suitable illumination for observation, treatment and other tasks.
Connected Light has applied this approach at Southmead Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, using tunable-white LED lighting and local wireless control.
Healthcare lighting projects often involve several stakeholders, from estates and facilities teams to M&E consultants, electrical contractors and capital project managers. Connected Light can join a project at different stages, providing focused support where additional lighting expertise is required.
Our services include site surveys, existing system assessments, lighting calculations, product selection and control strategy development. We can also assist with budget planning, lifecycle replacement programmes and the coordination of lighting with wider mechanical and electrical requirements.
Through our lighting consultation service for M&E consultants, professional lighting design and turn-key project solutions, we can support projects from early planning through to installation, commissioning and handover. Connected Light can provide standalone technical expertise or coordinated project delivery, depending on the project stage, procurement route and support already in place.
Patient wards and bedrooms
Controllable lighting should support daytime activity, overnight care, staff tasks and patient comfort.
Treatment and examination rooms
Clinical lighting should provide clear illumination and suitable colour rendering for treatment and examination.
Corridors and circulation areas
Consistent lighting supports safe movement, wayfinding and efficient operation.
Waiting and reception areas
Welcoming lighting should balance comfort, visibility and energy efficiency.
Staff and support areas
Offices, preparation rooms and rest spaces need lighting suited to their activities.
External areas and emergency routes
Entrances, pedestrian routes, car parks and escape routes need appropriate lighting for safety and security.
Connected Light has delivered lighting and controls projects across NHS and specialist healthcare environments.
At Southmead Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, the solution included tunable-white LED lighting, DALI DT8 drivers and Casambi wireless controls. Separate control zones allow lighting to be adjusted around individual cot areas while supporting the requirements of the wider ward.
At Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Connected Light supplied bespoke RGB LED lighting and wireless controls for an interactive illuminated sculpture. Patients and families can change its colours through a simple control interface.
Our wider NHS lighting experience also includes work supporting fire improvement teams with emergency lighting assessments, design and remedial programmes. Further examples are available within our lighting projects.
- Lighting surveys: Assess existing fittings, controls and emergency lighting.
- Lighting design: Develop tailored schemes through our professional lighting design service.
- LED upgrades: Plan practical replacement programmes around energy, maintenance and lifecycle priorities.
- Lighting controls: Specify, configure and optimise smart lighting control systems.
- Emergency lighting: Support assessment, design, verification and remedial work through our emergency lighting compliance services.
- Project delivery: Coordinate supply, installation, commissioning and handover.
- Established experience: More than 40 years of lighting knowledge across complex commercial and public-sector projects.
- Healthcare understanding: Experience supporting NHS hospitals, specialist healthcare environments and fire improvement teams.
- Complete project support: Practical assistance from early consultation and surveys through to commissioning and handover.
- Controls expertise: Support for wired, wireless and mixed lighting control systems.
- Emergency lighting credentials: BAFE-certified capability backed by current compliance knowledge.
- Manufacturer-independent advice: Solutions selected around the building, users and project requirements rather than one product range.
Discuss your healthcare lighting project
Connected Light provides healthcare lighting solutions for existing facilities, refurbishment programmes and new projects. NHS estates teams, facilities managers, M&E consultants and contractors can contact us to discuss lighting design, LED upgrades, controls, emergency lighting, commissioning and the practical requirements of their estate.
Related case studies
Southmead Hospital – NICU
Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
Frequently asked questions
What lighting solutions are suitable for NHS hospitals and healthcare facilities?
Suitable healthcare lighting solutions depend on the space, users, tasks, infrastructure, controls and emergency lighting requirements. The approach may combine LED upgrades, specialist design, controls and commissioning rather than applying one standard solution throughout the building.
How can hospital lighting controls reduce energy use?
Hospital lighting controls can reduce wasted energy through occupancy sensing, daylight-linked dimming, zoning, scheduling and scene setting. Controls should be properly designed and commissioned so they respond effectively while remaining straightforward for clinical staff, patients and estates teams.
Can LED lighting upgrades be completed in an operational hospital?
LED lighting upgrades can often be phased around clinical schedules, access restrictions and agreed working periods. Surveys, programme planning and coordination with estates teams help manage disruption and ensure each completed phase is tested and commissioned.
What is involved in a hospital lighting retrofit?
A hospital lighting retrofit may include site surveys, lighting calculations, product selection, control design, emergency lighting assessment, installation planning and commissioning. Existing fittings should also be reviewed to determine whether suitable equipment can be retained or upgraded.
What should be considered when designing lighting for hospital wards?
Ward lighting design should consider patient comfort, staff tasks, glare, colour rendering, daytime and overnight use, local control, maintenance access and emergency lighting. The scheme should provide flexibility without making the controls difficult to understand.
Does Connected Light provide emergency lighting for NHS facilities?
Connected Light supports NHS facilities with emergency lighting assessments, design, photometric verification, remedial recommendations and compliance planning. The company also holds BAFE SP203-4 certification across the relevant emergency lighting services included within its certified scope.
Survey and report
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Order
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Completed BAFE documentation
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Design
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Installation / Verification
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Continued support
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The RUH have a close working relationship with Connected Light, working on many projects, having provided equipment and technological advice for a large £1.4 million upgrade from fluorescent LED across the hospital estate.... Read More
The service Connected Light offer to us is invaluable. They have access to a wide range of manufacturers and luminaires that enhance any lighting design, provide the back-up calculations, control philosophy and on-site commissioning.... Read More
I have recently been working with Connected Light on a number of Lifecycle projects in the education sector and they have been great to work with, from conception and scoping works through to the delivery and installation.... Read More
