Designing Your Dental Clinic to Meet Regulatory Standards

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There are many considerations to make when setting up a new practice such as dental clinic costs, equipment and of course, meeting regulatory standards. One factor to take into account is compliance, particularly regarding the fitout design and consent.

To simplify your project planning, this article explains the relevant legislation, types of consent, and design requirements you need to know.

Building Code design requirements
Dental Council Practice Standards
Building Consent
Resource Consent

BUILDING CODE REQUIREMENTS FOR A MEDICAL CLINIC

All building work in New Zealand must meet the performance standards of the Building Code, including in medical spaces. It covers all key aspects of buildings, such as structural stability, durability, fire protection, accessibility, moisture, facilities, and energy efficiency.

The Building Act 2004 is the primary legislation governing the building and construction industry while the Building Code sets the minimum performance standards buildings must meet.

Structure and Durability

B1 and B2 set requirements around how buildings should be stable, not degrade, and withstand certain conditions. When completing any work on your building, you must account for a series of external pressures, including fire, wind, temperature, gravity, weight of equipment, and more.

Allowances must also be made for the consequences of failure, the intended use of the building, site changes, and more.

Read Section B of the Building Code >

Fire safety

Section C of the Building Code safeguards against fire, protecting people and property. When building your medical fitout, you must ensure a low probability of fire spreading to other properties vertically or horizontally. Buildings must also be provided with an effective fire warning system, clear escape routes, and a designated place of safety.

Read Section C of the Building Code >

Accessibility

Section D of the Building Code refers to accessibility, ensuring safe entry, exit, and movement throughout the premises, parking spaces, and access routes. For example, access routes should have clear signage, reliable handrails, wheelchair accessibility, and slip-resistant surfaces.

At least one access route must be designed to enable people with disabilities to:

Approach the building from the street boundary or, where required to be provided, the building car park,
Have access to the internal space served by the principal access,
And have access to and within those spaces where they may be expected to work or visit, or which contain facilities for personal hygiene as required by Clause G1 Personal hygiene.

Read Section D of the Building Code >

Health and Disability Services Safety Act

For more in-depth information about accessibility, the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001 underpins all health care services in New Zealand. The Act enforces the safe provision of healthcare services, encouraging continuous improvement of service quality.

Moisture

Section E of the Building Code refers to drainage, external moisture, and internal moisture. For example, drainage systems must use gravity flow, minimise blockages, minimise leakage, and provide reasonable access for maintenance.

Buildings must also be constructed to resist moisture penetration from the outside. For example, roofs must expel moisture and prevent it from building up or seeping into the building’s interior. External building components must not absorb moisture that could cause undue dampness or damage to the building.

Inside, the building must be constructed to minimise fungal growth, free water overflow, and damage caused by moisture. For example, in any space containing a sanitary fixture or appliance, the floor surface and adjacent walls must be impervious and easy to clean.

Read Section E of the Building Code >

Hazards and chemicals

Section F of the Building Code sets requirements for protecting against hazardous agents and materials on the premises. If your building will house hazardous substances or machinery, you must incorporate restricted access, safe release of pressure, and clear signage.

Radiation Code of Practice

The Radiation Safety Act 2016 specifies technical requirements for any person dealing with a radiation source. While the Act is interpreted depending on the radiation source, the requirements clearly state that transportation, storage, and use of radiation must be done safely and securely. When using radiation, you must have a valid use licence.

The medical codes of practice cover a range of purposes, including Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Radiation Therapy, and Dental Radiology.

Read Section F of the Building Code >

Personal hygiene

Section G of the Building Code outlines that all buildings must be provided with appropriate spaces and facilities for personal hygiene. Sanitary fixtures should be provided and be appropriate for the people using them, meaning they must be accessible.

Sanitary fixtures must be constructed with safe and effective drainage, easily cleaned surfaces, and sufficient privacy. These facilities should be provided in convenient locations, including accessible facilities for people with disabilities.

Read Section G of the Building Code >

Dental Practice Standards

The Dental Council sets standards of clinical competence, cultural competence and ethical conduct to be observed by all registered oral health practitioners. The five ethical principles that practitioners must adhere to include:

Putting patients’ interests first
Ensuring safe practice
Communicating effectively
Providing good care
Maintaining public trust and confidence.

The standards framework refers to advertising, blood-borne viruses, best practices with māori patients, cultural competence, infection control, informed consent, medical emergencies, patient records, the privacy of health information, professional boundaries, and sedation.

Building consent for medical fitouts

Whether making minor alterations or building a clinic from scratch, you must obtain building consent. We recommend discussing your plans with your local council to identify any special requirements and submitting an online application.

Remember, you cannot start any physical work on your building until your consent has been granted. And, if you change your plans after the consent has been granted, you will have to pay additional fees for the council to review them.

Fortunately, the Dentec team has a lot of experience liaising with local councils and can take care of the entire consenting process for you. Contact us to get started today or read our in-depth article about Building Consent for Dental Clinics.

Resource consent for medical fitouts

Resource consent is a formal approval to complete works that are not identified in the existing zoning plan or building resource consent. For example, resource consent is often needed to change a residential building to commercial use as a medical clinic.

Generally, resource consent focuses on how to avoid or reduce your project’s environmental impact. In the case of a new medical clinic, this may include provisions for the safe discharge of contaminants and hazardous waste, such as dental amalgam, x-ray waste, lead, and pharmaceutical waste.

Fortunately, the Dentec team is well-versed in resource consent requirements all over New Zealand. We will ensure the consenting process runs smoothly, allowing your new clinic to progress to the build stage much sooner.

Healthcare design and build services

We pride ourselves on being a turnkey provider of all your healthcare design, build, and equipment requirements. We manage all the details so you can focus on running your business. We understand that this is a major financial decision for you so we do everything we can to streamline the process and every step: