London (United Kingdom) - The Design Council has launched a national design challenge called 'Design for Patient Dignity', inviting designers to join forces with manufacturers, service providers and specialist contractors to help eliminate mixed sex accommodation and increase patient privacy and dignity in hospitals.

In partnership with the Department of Health, the Design Council is looking for up to five collaborative design teams, which will be paid a minimum of £25,000 to develop and prototype new approaches which:

In addition, the teams will be given support to develop their ideas and ownership of the intellectual property.

Teams will be asked to submit credentials and an 800 word summary on how they would approach the challenge, with solutions which would work at ward level, offer good value for money, and take into account the behaviour of hospital staff, patients and their visitors.

Designers and manufacturers should click on www.designcouncil.org.uk/dignity to apply. The deadline for entries is 26 October 2009.

David Kester, Chief Executive of the Design Council said:

"The question is simple: Can you make it better? Most designers at one time or another have thought: if the NHS would ask, we could make such a difference. This is just that opportunity to help improve the experience of patients by better design and own a stake in the ideas as well."

"Many tell us that dignity issues are one of the highest concerns to us when we are patients of the NHS. We've already assembled a great team under Jane Priestman's chairmanship and look forward to designers of all disciplines putting themselves forward."

Design for Patient Dignity follows hot on the heels of a similar intervention around reducing MRSA and C. difficile.

Kester added: "Design Bugs Out has been a great success with almost every prototype making its way to the market and many with orders internationally. That's been good for healthcare and good for industry."

The chosen teams will be asked to deliver prototypes by March 2010, when they will be showcased to the public and to health experts, hospital trusts, staff and patients.  

To help in the development process, the Design Council has recruited an Advisory Board of highly respected designers, manufacturers, healthcare experts, staff and patients' organisations to advise the winning teams during the development phase. It will be chaired by Jane Priestman OBE, a designer with a huge wealth of experience in healthcare and transport infrastructure, and also includes Joe Ferry, Head of Design at Virgin Atlantic, Neal Stone, former head of Design at British Airways and Professor Max Fordham OBE, a pioneer of the green building movement and winner of the 2008 Prince Philip Designers Prize.

To read the brief, visit: www.designcouncil.org.uk/dignity

For more information, please contact:

Nigel Campbell
Head of Communications, Design Council
t: 44 207 420 5282
e:

Saskia Sissons
Media Manager, Design Council
t: +44 207 420 5248
e: saskia.sissons@designcouncil.org.uk

w: www.designcouncil.org.uk