A product designed to save the NHS money and help save the planet has been recognised with a leading industry accolade.
Shield – a simple and low-cost redesign of the urinary drainage bags and frames used for catheters – has been recognised by Red Dot in the Sustainability category of the Red Dot Concept Awards.
Designed by Cardiff Metropolitan University spin-out business, PDR, Shield utilises recycled single-use disposable plastic sterilisation tray wraps and drapes commonly used in hospital operating theatres and otherwise put into landfill.
Its sustainability was a crucial part of the design; recycled hospital waste material provided free by hospitals trusts creates a highly-functional material at very little additional energy consumption and cost.
And, in doing so, it offers a discreet, stable, and secure product for patients and addresses issues that greatly affect patient wellbeing, but which are outside the typical interests of the private sector.
Commenting on the win, Ben Nolan, PDR associate director of design, said: “The shield concept looks to solve a real-world problem of hospital waste, and we spotted an opportunity to utilise a recycled material that the hospital is able to produce from used surgical gowns and single-use trays etc.
“This product suits the properties of the recycled material perfectly and is a great way to repurpose the waste material into a product that has a genuine positive impact on patients.”
