Watch the Lightweight Screen and Curtain Lock film on Vimeo.
The brief challenged designers Together Creative, in collaboration with Anthony Dickens Studio and industry supplier Suck UK to design a product or service that effectively separates male and female patients on NHS wards.
They were asked to consider patient needs while also giving staff the flexibility to change areas at short notice.
The team came up with two solutions.
Lightweight screen
The lightweight screen is a free-standing divider for separating areas of a ward or bay. The rotation-moulded plastic panels are simple to interlock securely, but light enough to be installed or moved easily by nursing staff on the stackable trolley. Screens can be used to create a single room effect, or divide the ward in two down the middle. Because screen panels sit below the existing curtain rail, they can be installed without having to close the ward or move patients from their beds.
Designing the curtain lock
The curtain lock clips onto a curtain-rail to stop the curtain being drawn back past a certain point. It also acts as a signal to show staff and other patients that a curtained area is in use. Patients can decide how far they want their curtains drawn back, giving them more control over their environment, while staff can use the lock to screen off larger areas of wards by clipping a long run of curtains together.