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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

Healthcare and security workers have welcomed the prototypes unveiled today, which aim to reduce the incidence of violence and aggression against staff, as part of a project to discover the common triggers of frustration and anxiety in A&E departments.

Three innovative small companies have each been awarded government contracts worth £100,000 to develop new services that aim to help older adults live independently for longer through adopting better approaches to food and nutrition.

Diane Haigh, the Director of Design Council Cabe has announced her departure. Diane was Director of Design Review at CABE from 2007 and joined the Design Council when the two organisations merged in April 2011. Over the last six months, she has supported the organisation through a period of change, including re-establishing national design reviews.

England needs a networked system of design support, providing local people with access to built environment expertise and advice, according to the Bishop Review, published today.

The Design Council, the British Government’s advisor on design has today announced a pioneering new partnership with the Integrated Design Commission (IDCSA) of South Australia, which recognises the role of good quality, well-designed places in improving quality of life and stimulating economic growth.

Design Council Cabe welcomes the NPPF as part of the reform of the planning system to create a simplified, more inclusive process. Good planning is fundamental to the production and maintenance of well-designed, good quality places that create both the physical and social conditions for sustainable economic growth.

“When times get tough, it can be tempting to hunker down, cut costs and wait it out. But it’s those businesses that put design at the heart of developing new markets, products and applications which are the ones that experience better sales, profitability and growth. There’s help out there for businesses to make it happen – and now’s the time to seize that support.” - Deborah Meaden supports Designing Demand

The shortlist for the 2011 Prince Philip Designers Prize is revealed today, and encompasses one of the widest ranges of design disciplines in the Prize’s history, from museums and galleries designers to millinery for Kylie Minogue, hydraulic ankles and illustrations for the Big Friendly Giant.

An Intellectual Property Office event hosted by the Design Council with Baroness Wilcox, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills, announces the publication of the first phase of research into the use of design rights in the UK, how this affects the industry, and a call for evidence on how the UK intellectual property framework can better support our globally successful design industry.

Today the Design Council announces the five projects which will receive £100,000 in total via its Design Fund for Growth to support the formation of closer connections between business, technology and design to encourage business development and economic growth.

The Design Council is supporting a series of events at the London Design Festival from 17-25 of September, to promote the role of design in addressing challenges ranging from the ageing population to commercialising science & technology and protecting intellectual property rights.

Design Council CABE today announces the fourteen organisations who will receive grants totalling £114,000 to fund their work with local communities in helping them raise the design quality of their area.

A national challenge to all sectors of business was launched today with a prize fund of £495,000. The Keeping Connected Business Challenge, delivered by the Technology Strategy Board and the Design Council, will look to develop innovative services that keep older adults better connected.

A national challenge that will fund teams to develop new design-led ideas for products and services that make lives simpler, better and more enjoyable for those with dementia and their carers was launched today by The Design Council and the Department of Health.