What is HTM 06-01?
HTM 06-01 is a Health Technical Memorandum published for NHS estates. It provides guidance on the design, installation, operation and maintenance of electrical services in healthcare premises — from the point of supply through distribution to the systems that clinical areas depend on. It is written for the people responsible for healthcare buildings: estates managers, facilities teams and the engineers and contractors who work with them.
Who does it apply to?
HTM 06-01 applies to NHS-managed sites directly. Beyond the NHS, many private healthcare providers — private hospitals, clinics, dental practices and care homes — reference it as good practice for their own electrical infrastructure. For premises outside NHS management, whether and how the guidance applies depends on your organisation and any contractual or regulatory commitments it has made, so it’s worth confirming with your estates or compliance team.
How does it relate to BS 7671 and Section 710?
BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations) is the national standard for electrical installations in the UK, and Section 710 within it sets out additional requirements for medical locations — the patient areas of a healthcare premises. HTM 06-01 doesn’t replace either of these. It is healthcare estates guidance that sits alongside the wiring standard: installations are inspected and tested against BS 7671, while HTM 06-01 gives those managing healthcare estates a framework for how their electrical services should be designed, operated and maintained.
What does it mean for resilience?
A central concern of HTM 06-01 is continuity of supply. Healthcare premises depend on electricity for patient safety in a way few other buildings do, so the guidance addresses how electrical services can be designed and operated to keep essential systems running and to manage the risk of interruption. The right approach depends on the nature of the premises and the clinical activities it supports, which is why decisions about resilience are made by each organisation for its own estate.
What records do estates and facilities teams typically need?
Compliance is evidenced through documentation. In practice, that usually means periodic inspection reports (EICRs) for the fixed electrical installation, Electrical Installation Certificates and Minor Works Certificates for new or altered work, and maintenance and test records for supporting systems such as emergency lighting. Our periodic inspection and testing service is built around producing exactly this kind of clear, well-organised paperwork.
How we help
We carry out inspection and testing in accordance with the current edition of BS 7671 where applicable, and we take account of relevant healthcare guidance, including HTM 06-01 where applicable to your premises. That means properly scoped EICRs, certification for new and altered work, and reports written so your estates or compliance team can file them without chasing us for clarification. Start with our medical electrical testing page, or contact us to talk through your premises.
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