Sunderland Healthcare Trust

THE DESIGN CHALLENGE

A hot drink can offer comfort and have a calming effect on a patient while in hospital. We were commissioned to design a beverage trolley, which could not only offer a range of drinks and snacks, but withstand the tough, daily use in a hospital ward and offer the hygiene standards that is expected. The project involved the full range of 3di’s design services from the initial client brief, CAD design, prototypes, safety testing and final specification.

THE DESIGN SOLUTION

We were briefed by the hospitals catering management, infection control, purchasing and technical support to outline the key objectives of the project.

The design process started with the generation of concept designs and manufacturing process options. The design was progressed to Stage 1 prototype and progressed through a further 3 versions until the design was tested to the satisfaction of all departments.

Supply and assembly of the trolleys were managed by 3di Design.  We project managed the roll-out of the trolleys to hospitals in the North East of England for 12 months.

The trolley won second prize in the Innovative Service Delivery category at the annual Bright Ideas in Health Awards.

Deliverables

  • Internal design brief and review meetings
  • CAD concepts
  • Fully engineered solutions for injection moulding, thermoforming, metal fabrication, plastic fabrication and digital printing
  • Electronics
  • Safety testing
  • Prototypes
  • Project Management