NHS : Sanctuary Trolley
Cohda recently collaborated with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust to develop a trolley that allows the discrete transfer of deceased patients while reducing the anxiety associated with death.
The Challenge
When a patient passes away on a ward they are transferred from ward to mortuary through the hospital corridors on a variety of outdated mortuary trolleys.
All current designs follow the same theme, that of a wheeled stretcher with a pop-up fabric tent to cover the deceased.
Seeing current trolleys in use can trigger stress and anxiety for patients, visitors and staff at the hospital and there is often a lack of discretion for those who have passed during their transportation through the hospital wards and corridors.
Additional Challenges
In addition to the stress and anxiety caused by witnessing a trolley in use, current designs have further challenges:
Poor Ergonomics create repetitive stress and can cause injuries to porters operating trolleys at incorrect handle height and position to their stature.
Canopy Cover Issues Replaceable fabric canopies are unpacked and assembled at the hospital bedside. These are noisy leading to patient disruption and require space to assemble. They are cumbersome to assemble, time consuming to clean and need replacing frequently due to wear and tear.
Aesthetics Challenges Current designs are coffin-shaped and have the appearance of a modified hospital bed giving them an obvious intended purpose.
Minimal Dignity to Occupant In use, current designs require a high number of movements and can be intrusive to the deceased, increasing transition time from ward to mortuary.
Solution ‘The Sanctuary Trolley offers a dignified final rescue of a body with minimal disruption’.
Unlike other trolleys, Sanctuary Trolley stands out for its unique design and innovative engineering. The design is based around a height adjustable telescopic exoskeleton frame which can be aligned with a hospital bed for easy transfer of a body and acts as the first point of impact when in transit to further protect the trolley and the patient. The Exoskeleton vertical tubes also act as control handles to operate the trolley and offer a perfect hand location and push height regardless of a porter’s stature.
The trolley has vertical sliding doors which open and close within the trolleys own footprint, allowing its use in confined spaces. All doors can be independently controlled, thus saving time in use and providing dignity to the deceased due to the screening barrier.
The process of use is far more efficient, respectful and discrete, decreasing the number of movements , intrusion to the deceased and reducing the time from ward to mortuary.
The overall aesthetic design of the trolley seamlessly fits within the hospital environment without masking the trolleys intended purpose.
Manufacture of the now Patented design is underway and will be available throughout the NHS from late 2023.
Thanks to our project partners for entrusting COHDA with such a sensitive, challenging and valuable project.
Key Expertise
Product design
Industrial design
Mechanical engineering
Prototyping and fabrication
Design for manufacture
Structural analysis and FEA
Manufacture
Hydraulic Systems