Department of Health and Social Care
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New designs help to combat bugs in hospitals
Four new bedside furniture designs to reduce healthcare associated infections were made available today for the NHS to purchase after testing showed positive patient and staff feedback.
Trialled on wards in eight hospitals across England, the new designs for a patient chair, bedside cabinet, over-bed table and a commode proved easier and quicker to clean, and will further help in the fight to reduce healthcare associated infections(HCAIs) such as MRSA, C. difficile and MSSA.
The Design Bugs Out project – a partnership between the Department of Health and the Design Council – brought together clinical specialists, patients and frontline hospital staff with designers and manufacturers to produce furniture designs that are not only easier and quicker to clean but functional and comfortable and at a comparable price.
Hospital furniture design has not been assessed for many years,
or been so thoroughly evaluated. The ergonomically sound, robust
and sustainable designs are the first to be tested by an
independent laboratory for cleanability in comparison to existing
hospital furniture, as well as user-friendliness by ward staff,
patients and visitors. The four pieces proved to be easier to
clean after undergoing rigorous assessments that replicated
routine hospital cleaning procedures of typically contaminated
hospital furniture.
Health Minister Simon Burns
said:
“Cleanliness is vital in preventing healthcare
associated infections. The NHS has already made significant
reductions of MRSA bloodstream infections and C. difficile, but
there is still room for further progress.
“These four
innovative and user-friendly furniture designs – now available for
hospitals to buy – provide additional ways to help to reduce these
infections. They will make it easier for staff to keep wards
cleaner and help combat the spread of infections. This means
keeping patients healthier, as well as saving the NHS money in the
long term.”
The evaluation feedback showed positive reactions
from both patients and staff for all four products – with patient
acceptability ratings proving high:
• Patient chair – 91 per
cent found the chair clean, comfortable, safe and supportive
•
Bedside cabinet – 77 per cent thought that the new cabinet was
sturdy and durable and looked good
• Overbed table – 91 per
cent were in favour of the new design.
• Commode – 90 per cent
thought the commode looked good and they liked it
David Kester, Chief Executive of the Design Council, said:
“This is a great example of how design can find innovative new ways of tackling tricky problems and helping public services do better, for less. But it’s also a business success story – this project has generated valuable orders, created new markets and helped safeguard jobs.
“Helping manufacturers work closely with designers and healthcare staff to develop these new product innovations has delivered a win-win for patients, staff and local economies.”
The new designs were tested in eight showcase hospitals across
England:
• Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation
Trust
• Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation
Trust
• County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation
Trust
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• Lewisham
Healthcare NHS Trust
• Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS
Trust
• Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust
• The
Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust
Cheryl Etches, Chief Nursing Officer at Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals said:
“This was a fantastic opportunity to influence the design and manufacturing process of these commonly used pieces of health care equipment. These haven’t changed greatly in design for many years and, for this reason, this equipment has always been difficult to clean.
“Having this equipment on the wards makes the patient’s bedside environment easier to clean - which is beneficial for patients and staff.”
The report published today of the evaluation is intended to
assist the NHS in making informed decisions about purchasing the
four Design Bugs Out products, which are now all available in the
NHS Supply Chain catalogue online.
You can view the four
designs at http://flickr.com/gp/designcounciluk/1V2127/
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1. The evaluation can be found at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_131183
2. For more information please contact the Department of
Health press office newdesk on 0207 210 5221.
3. High
resolution images of the products are available – please contact
the Design Council press office on 0207 420 5263.
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk
