University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

The clean linen cart is the hospital’s workhorse. It is a simple piece of equipment, but that doesn’t mean the design can’t be improved. We listened to the team’s experiences using the carts and looked at how we could solve their issues.

Issue #1 – The carts are heavy

The old carts were made from mild steel, which made them prone to rusting and very heavy to manoeuvre.

We used aluminium instead, making the carts lighter and rust-proof. Samuel shared, “The night team have all said that they prefer the new trolleys because they are lighter to move and less heavy with the aluminium casing.”

Issue #2 – Ineffective curtains

Keeping the cart contents clean and infection-free is essential, which is why the open sides of these trolleys have curtains. The old carts had curtains attached at the top, and many of the fixings had broken over time.

As Samuel described, “Some of the curtains are held on with a bit of string; you have to pull them across. However, they don’t close properly, so in terms of infection prevention, they don’t keep all the filling safe.”

The new trolleys have curtains that close on all sides, keeping the linen safe from dust and airborne germs.

Issue #3 – The tow bar operation was awkward

The old tow bar connecting the carts had to be raised and lowered by hand which required lots of bending up and down for the operators.

Improving this was a vital part of the new design. As Samuel explained, “The hinge tow bar springs up, so you don’t have to bend down as often to hook it up. You can do it with your foot, which is much safer and more practical from a manual handling perspective.”

This project is an excellent example of Agile’s Listen, Design, Support approach.

We listened to what was not working with the existing equipment and the client’s specific requirements.

We designed a solution that met their needs.

We supported the client throughout the process with speedy and personal service.