{"id":1566,"date":"2020-01-01T21:51:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-01T21:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/total-locker-service.com\/blog\/?p=1566"},"modified":"2026-10-02T16:27:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T16:27:43","slug":"medical-records-shelving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/total-locker-service.com\/blog\/medical-records-shelving\/","title":{"rendered":"Medical Records Shelving for a Sussex PCT: Mobile Storage Case Study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Sussex Primary Care Trust needed to improve the way its patient records were stored and accessed. Medical files were spread across several off-site buildings, creating additional administration and making efficient access to records more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solution was to consolidate the medical-records archive into a single location using high-density mobile shelving designed to maximise the available warehouse space while leaving capacity for future growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Centralising Patient Record Storage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Trust already owned an industrial warehouse containing part of its medical-records archive. When an adjoining warehouse became available, the additional space created an opportunity to bring records from several satellite storage locations together on one site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brief was straightforward but demanding: provide as much practical shelving capacity as possible within the available building while accommodating the Trust’s existing records and allowing room for future expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a large records department, centralisation can simplify retrieval, reduce unnecessary movement between storage locations and make better use of staff time and available floor space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-Density Mobile Medical Records Shelving<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Storage Construction, an established shelving, racking and storage-system specialist, had previously completed work for the Trust, including a mobile shelving installation, mezzanine floor and office accommodation in the original warehouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the adjoining warehouse, a further high-density mobile storage system was specified using Mistral adjustable shelving mounted on M\u00f6bilis mobile bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobile shelving allows multiple shelving runs to share a smaller number of access aisles. Instead of maintaining a permanent aisle between every row, the required aisle can be opened when records need to be retrieved. This can significantly increase storage density where floor space is limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Capacity and Installation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The medical-records shelving installation was completed in two phases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project phase<\/th>Shelving installed<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Phase one<\/td>3,120 linear metres<\/td><\/tr>
Phase two<\/td>1,560 linear metres<\/td><\/tr>
Total shelving<\/strong><\/td>4,680 linear metres<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Total shelving bays<\/td>585 bays<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Completing the project in phases allowed the storage capacity to be increased while the medical-records department continued its normal day-to-day operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both phases were completed to programme without requiring the department’s normal records activity to be suspended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adjustable Shelving for Medical Records<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The installation used adjustable shelving so shelf positions could be configured around the size and format of the records being stored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is important in archive and medical-record storage because inefficient shelf spacing can waste a substantial amount of capacity across a large installation. Adjustable shelves allow the storage system to be configured more closely around the files, folders or archive boxes being used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shelving was mounted on a mobile base system to combine adjustable file storage with high-density use of the warehouse floor area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antibacterial Powder-Coated Finish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The shelving used in the project incorporated an ActiveCoat antibacterial powder-coated finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ActiveCoat is marketed as a hard-wearing antibacterial coating intended to inhibit bacterial growth on coated surfaces. Published product information for shelving using the coating describes testing showing a 99.9% reduction in specified bacteria including E. coli and MRSA under test conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with any surface treatment, an antibacterial coating should complement rather than replace appropriate cleaning, infection-control and records-management procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of Centralised Medical Record Storage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The project demonstrates several advantages of properly planned high-density records storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n