Patient Record Holder
Designing for Scale in Healthcare Manufacturing
Visual Systems Healthcare
Client: Visual Systems Healthcare are the leading supplier to the NHS private healthcare providers of visual ward optimisation tools. Their existing range of patient record holders relied on hand-fabricated plastic units in separate wall-mounted and bed-mounted versions. The products were durable, but costly, variable in quality and difficult to scale due to the manufacturing restrictions. They asked Pd-m to consolidate the line into a single, modern solution that improved usability, addressing infection control and commercial viability.
Approach: We reframed the brief as a platform redesign, defining a clear development roadmap from concept to manufacture and supply. We created and selected a modular “hook and pouch” architecture enabling one product to serve both mounting modes. CAD development was supported by finite element analysis then verified through full-scale prototyping and iterative testing. Clinical trials across multiple hospitals validated compatibility with varied bed frames, procurement expectations and wipe clean requirements.
Challenges: The core challenge was replacing steel fabrication with a fully moulded polymer design while matching strength, durability and clinical wipe-down performance. The attachment mechanism needed to be removable for flexibility, yet secure under load and resistant to misuse. The design also had to eliminate dirt traps, remain serviceable if damaged, and deliver engineered nesting to unlock major storage and shipping efficiencies.
Deliverables: Pd-m delivered end-to-end product development from concept through to production. This included modular architecture design, detailed CAD and FEA validation, risk register and FMEA, material selection and DFM optimisation, tooling specification and supplier liaison, T0 sample refinement, full-scale prototyping and clinical validation, alongside packaging optimisation and rendered assets to support procurement engagement and commercial launch.
Impact: The final two-part injection-moulded ABS solution reduced SKUs by 50% and removed metal inserts entirely. Product weight fell by more than 50%, while nesting created a 72mm stack headroom, enabling 5–6× more units per shipping volume than the legacy products. Pd-m specified and managed tooling through T0 sampling and optimisation, giving VSH consistent quality, scalable production and a significantly lower-cost route to market.
“Pd-m took our basic brief and carried out in-depth research to define a robust strategy which positively challenged our assumptions. The team navigated us through the complexities of design to manufacture, setting up a UK supply chain which has enabled us to scale quickly. Everything was done within budget, and the timescales were on target. I would happily do it all again.”