Design Bugs Out products to go into use in hospitals

Products developed as part of the Design Council and the Department of Health’s Design Bugs Out initiative, which aims to reduce the number of infections in hospitals, are going on sale to the NHS.

The Design Bugs Out programme launched in 2008, when the Design Council launched a fast-track process to develop designs to reduce infections.

This resulted in a series of prototype designs, unveiled in 2009, four of which are now being made available to the NHS after being trialled in hospitals.

The four designs are: a commode and a patient chair designed by Pearson Lloyd, an overbed table designed by Hollington and a bedside cabinet designed by Kinneir Dufort. The pieces were all developed to be easier to clean.

The designs have been tested on wards in eight hospitals across the UK.

David Kester, chief executive of the Design Council, says, ‘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.’