Partner Article

Occupational therapist designs bath board

An occupational therapist who has designed a new bath board to improve the safety for those with mobility problems is searching for a licence partner to turn her idea into reality.

Ginnie Garlick has seen patients use bath boards which are laid across a bath to provide a splash proof seat while washing. But there is no space for shower curtains to hang in the bath, meaning water spills onto the floor which causes a mess and could potentially risk an injury.

The 30-year-old has worked with Paul Magee, senior product designer at Coventry University Health Design &Technology Institute (HDTI), to create a perforated aluminium bath board which provides a space for the shower curtain to slip into. The project was supported by the Coventry University SME Engagement Fund.

Ginnie, who works as an occupational therapist at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in Putney, London, is now searching for a licence partner to develop the idea.

“I have worked with disabled and frail clients over a number of years and a common complaint about bath boards is that the shower curtain doesn’t close properly,” she said.

“Water always splashes onto the floor which presents a risk to the elderly and disabled because there is always a danger of slipping over and causing an injury.

“I couldn’t find any products which solved the problem so I decided to design my own.

“Initially I contacted health care product suppliers to gain general advice and one of them put me in touch with HDTI who have been really helpful.

“They arranged funding which covered 50 per cent of the project costs and was extremely useful because I have been using my own savings to fund the project.

“I was given six days of design work advice and Paul worked collaboratively with me on the project as we came up with several designs before choosing the best one.

“I’d like to licence it to an equipment supplier who is able to manufacture and sell the product themselves, and pay me a small royalty or a similar arrangement.”

Guy Smallman, Commercial Development Director at HDTI, said Ginnie had reached the stage where she needed a partner to take the product into production.

“At HDTI we are committed to supporting the development of new and innovative community healthcare products and we focus on the ageing population and people with disabilities and chronic health conditions,” he said.

“This is certainly an innovative product which would benefit people with limited mobility, prevent potential injury and ultimately save the NHS money.”

For further information contact ginniegarlick@gmail.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .