Priestmangoode introduces Recovery Lounge in hospital wards
London-based design consultancy group Priestmangoode has suggested the introduction of a “Recovery Lounge” in hospital wards in its health service design report called The Health Manifesto.
The report looks at the ways better design could help produce better, efficient and more cost-effective environments for patient recovery. Recovery Lounge is mooted as a concept for patients recovering from minor operations and procedures. The manifesto suggests that the wards should feature beds, which are similar to that of the first class airline cabins. The ambiance of the ward should be similar to that of a health spa.
Priestmangoode used the principles of budget class airline cabins and budget hotel rooms to develop the Recovery Lounge. It aims to take the strain off the queues for hospital beds and improve quality of wellbeing during recovery.
The Recovery Lounge proposal includes staggered layout creating room for more beds per square meter, individual private patient zones and floating furniture to avoid dirt accumulation. The designers have also suggested adaptable flexible beds, inspired by airline seats that offer three positions - the lie-flat, relaxed and upright - at the touch of a button; and a modular design, where each zone can be manufactured off site, which will help in lowering the production costs and enable a quick and easy installation.
