- Third award for start-up company, INGA Wellbeing
- Recognises new range of patient gowns
- Discrete openings provide access for examinations and medical equipment
A Belgium-based start-up company has scooped a design award for its range of patient clothing aimed at improving privacy, dignity, and comfort when compared to traditional hospital gowns.
The Henry van de Velde 2016 Better Health Design Award was presented to INGA Wellbeing in recognition of its range of day and nightwear for men and women receiving medical treatment.
It was recognised by the judging panel as a solution ‘which aids general wellbeing or a healthy body and healthy mind for all’.
Inspired by the company founder Fiona McGreal’s own experiences of ill health; the clothes enable patients to stay well covered for routine treatments and examinations at the same time as retaining their independence and sense of self.
At the ceremony she was dressed in an elegant INGA Wellbeing back-opening nightdress and thanked those who had helped her to realise her dream. She said: “They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, the same is true of a business idea.”
The company received significant support from Solvay business school; nurses, doctors and patient groups in Brussels and Flanders, as well as the UK; Belgian healthcare and fashion industry specialists; and Flemish manufacturer, Alsico, in order to turn bitter experiences into beautiful, functional clothes that improve patients’ lives.
This prize, which was launched in 1994 and carries the name of famed Belgian painter, architect and interior decorator, is the third received by INGA Wellbeing in less than a year as it comes hot on the heels of the PRoF UZ Gent Chair Innovation in Healthcare and the UK Health Radio-sponsored Janey Loves Awards.
Warmly welcomed by medical institutions in both Belgium and the UK, as well as many patient groups; the clothes have discreet openings to the arms, legs, stomach, chest, back and groin, enabling nurses to quickly and respectfully carry out routine examinations and treatments.
Monitors, IV lines, feeding lines, and drains are all easily accessible and less painful as they can be positioned between poppers on the hygienic snap tape, thereby avoiding snagging and pulling.
The styling and choice of soft, stretchy jersey fabric is comfortable to wear, masks anomalies of the body brought about by illness, and can be adjusted to accommodate changes in weight.
