How Does Anti Slip Fabric Work to Protect Patients?

Published 14th July 2026

In previous articles, we’ve looked at how anti-slip fabrics protect your team, and your organisation, from slip related injuries during manual handling. Such incidents cost the NHS, and private sector health providers, tens of millions of pounds every year in claims.

However, anti-slip fabric is not just about preventing accidents; it is about patient comfort and safety too. In this article, we’ll take a look at how anti-slip fabrics work to protect patients, reducing the risk of pressure injuries, skin tears and shear forces.

The Science Behind Anti-slip Fabric

The science behind anti-slip fabrics is known as tribology, which is the study of how two surfaces move relative to one another. Most fabrics get their anti-slip properties from a combination of factors in the fabric or its coating. These increase the coefficient of friction so that a greater force is required to create relative movement:

• Physical friction – this is created by unevenness on the surface of the fabric, known as asperity. This occurs in textured knits, raised fibres and brushed finishes, and it helps the fabric to literally grip on to the asperites of the other surface.

• Molecular friction – also known as adhesive friction, this is created by the interaction between molecules on the fabric surface and the surface they are in contact with. This is achieved by using silicone or PU coatings.

Redwood can create anti-slip fabrics that combine both of these properties, while also delivering the flame resistance, anti-bacterial properties, waterproofing and the resistance to intense cleaning required by modern medical fabrics.

How to Balance Grip With Protection

Of course, creating sufficient grip to prevent unwanted movement is only half of the story. In order to protect patients, it is important to balance that grip with comfort and skin protection. Too much friction in anti-slip fabrics can lead to:

• Pressure injuries – if a patient is unable to change positions easily

• Skin tears – if anti-slip fabrics grip fragile skin too tightly

• Shear forces – where the skin remains stationary or drags on surfaces relative to deeper tissue movement

To overcome these risks, many of Redwood’s anti-slip fabrics have a layered construction. The anti-slip properties are concentrated on the underside of the fabric, gripping chairs, wheelchairs and mattresses, while the top layer remains softer and more comfortable for the patient.

Why Are Anti-slip Fabrics Important for Patients?

From a patient perspective, anti-slip fabrics deliver a number of important benefits that improve comfort and enhance healing:

• Maintaining proper positioning in beds, seats and wheelchairs

• Reducing the risk of sliding or falling

• Enhancing stability during post-op recovery 

• Delivering confidence during rehabilitation

• Providing better pressure management to avoid bed sores

• Improving overall patient comfort

By providing anti-slip fabrics, you are not only protecting your workforce in those moments when during manual handling, you are also providing essential protection for your patients around the clock.

Where to Find the Anti-slip Fabrics You Need

With decades of technical textile experience, Redwood can supply all the medical fabrics you need, expertly designed to meet your precise specifications. We understand the financial demands on healthcare budgets, the physical demands on staff, and the comfort and welfare demands of your patients, and we create anti-slip fabrics and medical products that balance them all in one easy to specify solution. 

To find out more about how Redwood can protect your people and your patients with anti-slip fabrics, get in touch with our team today. Whether you have a full and finished specification for your product, or just a problem that you need or designers to solve, Redwood are here to help. Call us now and together we can get to grips with anti-slip fabrics for patient and staff safety.

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