Transportable medical unit

Abstract

There is provided a transportable medical unit that is configured to be transformable from a first configuration in which the medical unit is in a nonexpanded state to a second configuration in which

Description

Field The present disclosure relates to a transportable medical unit. More particularly, the 5 present disclosure relates to a transportable medical unit in which a medical procedure such as an endoscopy can be carried out. Background Transportable or mobile medical units are known. Such units can for example be io towed by a lorry and then moved from one site to another in order to provide a medical service at multiple locations over time. Such mobile medical units enable a service to be taken to patients, which may increase uptake of medical procedures or at least make having a medical procedure more convenient for a patient. 15 Summary There is disclosed a transportable medical unit that is configured to be transformable from a first configuration in which the medical unit is in a non-expanded state to a second configuration in which the medical unit is in an expanded state, the transportable medical unit comprising: a first portion which is configured to remain 20 static whilst the medical unit is transformed from the first configuration to the second configuration; and a second portion which is configured to move outwardly from the first portion when the medical unit is transformed from its first configuration to its second configuration, the first portion having a floor that is arranged to remain fixed in place as the transportable medical unit is transformed from the first configuration 25 to the second configuration and vice versa, wherein the floor does not have any hinged portions; and wherein the first portion comprises a first area, a second area, and a third area that is located between the first area and the second area, the second area comprising a decontamination room for decontaminating medical equipment, the decontamination room comprising a sink for initial washing of the 30 medical equipment, a middle wash area for further washing or decontamination of 27 06 25 the medical equipment and a trolley for placing decontaminated medical equipment and the third area comprising a room for carrying out a medical procedure, the medical procedure comprising an invasive medical procedure, and the room for carrying out the medical procedure located mid-way between a first end of the 5 medical unit and a second end of the medical unit. According to some examples, the transportable medical unit comprises a hatch between the decontamination room and the room for carrying out a medical procedure. io According to some examples, the second area comprises a plant room, the decontamination room located between the plant room and the room for carrying out a medical procedure and the plant room comprising at least one of: an air handling unit; electrical circuits, server units; or water pumps. 15 According to some examples, the first area comprises a preparation room for preparation of patients for the medical procedure and a movement room for movement of patients, the movement room located between the preparation room and the room for carrying out a medical procedure. 20 According to some examples, the floor of the first portion is sealed to prevent ingress of contaminants into the first portion. According to some examples, the second portion has one or more movable elements 25 to facilitate movement of the second portion when the transportable medical unit is transforming between the first configuration and the second configuration. According to some examples, the one or more movable elements comprise one or more of: a movable floor; one or more movable partitions. 27 06 25 According to some examples, the second portion is arranged for non-clinical activities. 5 According to some examples, the second portion comprises a reception area for receiving patients when the transportable medical unit is in the second configuration. According to some examples, the second portion comprises a movable reception desk. io According to some examples, the transportable medical unit comprises one or more sliding doors for providing access between the first region and the second region. According to some examples, the transportable medical unit comprises: a power 15 connector for connecting the transportable medical unit to a power source; a waste water connector for taking waste water away from the transportable medical unit; a fresh water connector for connecting to a fresh water supply. According to some examples, the transportable medical unit comprises: a single 20 power connector for connecting the transportable medical unit to a power source; a single waste water connector for taking waste water away from the transportable medical unit; a single fresh water connector for connecting to a fresh water supply. According to some examples, the power connector, the waste water connector and 25 the fresh water connector being located adjacent each other on a connector unit located on an exterior of the transportable medical unit. According to some examples, the medical procedure comprises an endoscopy. 27 06 25 Brief description of drawings Figures 1A and 1B schematically show an end view of an expandable and transportable unit. Figure 2 is a plan view of a layout of a transportable medical unit according to an 5 example. Detailed description As discussed briefly above, mobile or transportable medical units are known. It is also known to use mobile medical units for providing an endoscopy service. Many io requirements must be met to safely provide an endoscopy service. For example, there are requirements pertaining to hygiene and patient comfort and safety. In the UK, JAG accreditation must be obtained (https: / / www.thejag to provide an endoscopy service. To date, mobile endoscopy service centres have been cumbersome, large, and 15 expensive. For example, they require multiple trailer units to be transported to and erected on site. This not only creates a large physical footprint on site, but also creates an unnecessarily large transportation carbon footprint. Moreover, arranging multiple trailer units and connecting multiple trailer units to utilities on-site takes a significant amount of time and labour (a number of hours or days is not unusual). 20 Expandable mobile units are known. For example, such units may be configured in a non-expanded (or retracted) state for transport, and then expanded on site to provide increased floorspace. The present disclosure identifies that there exists a technical challenge in being able to fit a transportable or mobile medical service within the compact dimensions of 25 such an expandable unit. The present disclosure also identifies that this is particularly the case where the medical service being provided involve an invasive medical procedure, such as an endoscopy, because of the further challenges of clinical hygiene and safety. Figures 1A and 1B are end-on views showing the concept of an expandable and 30 transportable unit 100. The unit 100 comprises a first portion 102 and a second 27 06 25 portion 104. The transportable unit 100 is transformable from a first configuration in which the unit is in a non-expanded state (Fig. 1 A), to a second configuration in which the medical unit is in an expanded state (Fig. 1B). For example, the unit 100 may be placed into its first configuration for transport, and then expanded to its 5 second configuration for deployment on-site. In some examples, the unit 100 comprises one or more wheeled axles so that the unit can be towed to site. In some examples, the unit 100 is configured to be carried on a flat-bed trailer to site. One or more hydraulic “legs” or struts may be provided for supporting the unit 100 when deployed. Stairs may also be provided for facilitating io access in to the unit once deployed. Expandable units as shown in Figs. 1A and 1B are known per se. Figure 2 is a plan view showing the layout of a transportable medical unit 100 according to the disclosure. The unit 100 is transformable between a non-expanded state and an expanded state and vice-versa, as described with respect to Figures 1A 15 and 1B. In Figure 2, the medical unit 100 is shown in its expanded state. In the example of Figure 2, the layout of the unit 100 is configured for invasive medical procedures, such as an endoscopy. The unit 100 has a first end 101 and a second end 103. The unit 100 also comprises a first longitudinal side 105 and a second longitudinal side 107. Of course, the unit 100 also comprises a roof, which is not 20 shown in Figure 2 so that the floor layout can be seen. The unit 100 comprises a first portion 102 and a second portion 104. The first portion 102 is configured to remain static whilst the medical unit is transformed from the first configuration to the second configuration. The second portion 104 is configured to move outwardly from the first portion 102 when the unit 100 is transformed from its 25 first configuration to its second configuration. The second portion 104 is configured to move inwardly towards the first portion 102 when the unit 100 is transformed from its second configuration to its first configuration. In Figure 2, the unit 100 is shown in its second configuration. The first portion 102 comprises a first area 106, a second area 108, and a third area 30 110 that is located between the first area 106 and the second area 108. In other words, the third area 110 is sandwiched between the first area 106 and the second area 108. The third area 110 comprises a room 112 for carrying out a medical 27 06 25 procedure. In examples the procedure is an invasive medical procedure, such as an endoscopy. In some examples the medical procedure room 112 comprises a bed 156, a trolley 158 for holding notes and medical equipment or the like, and a sink 160. A chair 162 may also be provided. In some examples, medical room 112 may 5 also be referred to as a clinical space. In some examples, it may be considered that medical room 112 is located substantially mid-way between first end 101 and second end 103 of medical unit 100. It may also be considered that medical room 112 is a separate room from first area 106 and second area 108. In other words, room 112 may be closed off from first area 106 and second area 108 (and second portion 104) io by one or more walls, doors, windows, hatches etc., as will be explained in more detail below. Therefore room 112 may be considered a self-contained space. It is to be noted that the room 112 for carrying out the invasive medical procedure is located in the first portion 102 of the unit 100 i.e. is located in the portion that is configured to remain static when the unit 100 is being transformed between its non-15 expanded state to its expanded state. Therefore no, or minimal, adjustments are required in medical room 112 when the unit 100 is transformed between its first and second configurations. Moreover, the first portion 102 comprises a floor 126. The floor 126 is arranged to remain fixed in place as the unit 100 is transformed from the first configuration to the second configuration, and vice versa. Therefore in some 20 examples it may be considered that floor 126 is fixed in place. Therefore in some examples it may be considered that floor 126 is arranged to remain permanently fixed. Therefore in some examples it may be considered that floor 126 remains fixed while the unit 100 is transformed from its first configuration to its second configuration. The floor 126 is also configured to remain fixed while the unit 100 is 25 transformed from its second configuration to its first configuration. This means that joints, articulated joints, hinges, gaps etc are not required in the floor 126. This has a benefit from a hygiene point of view since such gaps, joints and hinges can become an inlet for dirt or contaminants from the outside atmosphere. In some examples, the floor 126 is sealed from the exterior. 30 In some examples, a wall 109 is provided between the first portion 102 and the second portion 104. Of course, one or more doors or openings may be provided in wall 109 to enable movement of persons between the first portion 102 and the second portion 104. 27 06 25 In some examples, the second area 108 comprises a decontamination room 114 for decontaminating medical equipment. For example, the decontamination room 114 comprises a sink 150 for initial washing, a middle wash area 152 for further washing / decontaminating, and a trolley 154 for placing decontaminated items. 5 In some examples the second area 108 comprises a hatch 116 for passing items to be decontaminated from the medical procedure room 112 to the decontamination room 114. In some examples a second hatch 117 is provided for passing clean and decontaminated items back from the decontamination room 114 to the medical procedure room 112. io According to some examples, the second area 108 comprises a plant room 118. The plant room 118 may comprise, for example, an air handling unit 164. Other equipment, such as electrical circuits, server units, water pumps etc may also be located in plant room 118. In examples, the plant room 118 is located at the second end 103 of the medical unit. In examples, the decontamination room 114 is located 15 between the plant room 118 and the medical procedure room 114. In other words, the decontamination room 114 is sandwiched between the plant room 118 and the medical procedure room 114. In the example of Figure 2, the unit 100 comprises rooms 120 and 122. The rooms 120 and 122 may be referred to as multi-purpose rooms or patient preparation 20 rooms. For example, these rooms may be configured for patients to prepare themselves for their medical procedure, and to recover after their procedure. These rooms may be provided with, for example, a bed, a chair, a wash basin etc. Patients may also consult with medical professionals in these rooms, before and / or after their procedure. In examples, the preparation rooms 120 and 122 are located at the first 25 end 101 of the unit 100. In some examples the second area 108 comprises a movement room 124. The movement room 124 may also be referred to as a circulation room or circulation space. The movement room 124 facilitates movement of persons between preparation rooms 120 and 122 and medical procedure room 112. The movement 30 room 124 also facilitate movement of persons between first portion 102 and second portion 104. 27 06 25 In the example of Figure 2 the first portion 102 comprises a bathroom area 166 that is accessible from movement room 124. In the example of Figure 2, the first portion 102 comprises an accessible bathroom area 168 and a kitchen or kitchenette 170. The accessible bathroom 168 and the 5 kitchen 170 are accessible from the second portion 104. In some examples, the accessible bathroom 168 and kitchen 170 cannot be accessed from within the first portion 102 itself. In some examples, the second portion 104 is arranged for non-clinical activities. For example, the second area 104 may comprise a reception area for receiving patients io and their carers. To this end a reception desk 132 may be provided. In some examples the reception desk 132 is movable, but can be locked in place as and when required. A waiting area comprising one or more chairs and small tables may also be provided in the second portion 104. In some examples, the second portion 104 has one or more movable elements, for 15 facilitating movement of the second portion 104 towards and away from the first portion. For example, the one or more movable elements comprises a movable floor 128. In some examples, the movable floor is hinged and can be folded up against longitudinal side 107. In some examples, the movable elements also comprise one or more movable partitions, such as partitions 130 and 131. The partitions 130, 131 20 may also be folded away for enabling the unit to be expanded I contracted. According to some examples, the unit 100 comprises a power connector 136 for connecting the transportable medical unit 100 to a power source; a waste water connector 138 for taking waste water away from the transportable medical unit 100; and a fresh water connector 140 for connecting to a fresh water supply. In some 25 examples, a single power connector 136, a single waste water connector and a single fresh water connector 140 is provided. Therefore, in some examples, only three connections are required to fully connect the unit 100 to all necessary utilities. In some examples, the power connector 136, the waste water connector 138 and the fresh water connector 140 are located adjacent each other on a connector unit or 30 board 142 located on an exterior of the transportable medical unit 100. This makes connection of the unit 100 to utilities extremely quick once the unit 100 is on-site. In some examples, a network port is also provided for connecting to a network cable. 27 06 25 The unit 100 may additionally or alternatively be configured for mobile internet connection, such as high speed 4G and / or 5G. In examples, the unit 100 may comprise one or more external doors for enabling access into the unit 100. For example, doors 172 and 174 may enable access in to 5 second portion 104. A door 176 may enable access into plant room 118. In examples, a number of internal doors are also provided within the unit 100. For example, a door 180 may be provided between medical procedure room 112 and movement area 124. Doors 182 and 184 may also be provided for access into rooms 120 and 122 from movement area 124. A door may be provided in the region of lead-10 line 134, for movement between second portion 104 and first portion 102. Other doors may also be provided, as shown schematically in Figure 2. In some examples, one or more of the doors may be a sliding door for space efficiency. A typical movement of a patient is as follows. A patient enters second portion 104 of the unit 100, where they are greeted at reception desk 132. The patient may need to 15 wait for a period in second portion 104, before being transferred to one of rooms 120,122. In room 120 or room 122 the patient can get ready for their procedure, for example by changing into a medical garment and / or washing. The patient may also have a consultation with a doctor or nurse at this stage. When ready, the patient proceeds to medical procedure room 112 via movement area 124. The patient then 20 undergoes their procedure, for example an endoscopy, in medical procedure room 112. After their procedure, the patient then returns to room 120 or 122. The patient can recover in one of these rooms, and get ready for leaving the unit 100. The patient may also have a conversation with the doctor or nurse at this stage, perhaps to discuss any findings from the procedure. The patient can then leave via 25 movement area 124 and second portion 104. It will be noted that persons can enter plant room 118 via door 176, directly from outside. Therefore, maintenance persons and the like do not have to walk through clinical areas to get to the plant room 118. The kitchen 170 and accessible toilet 168 are accessible from the second portion 104, meaning that these are also accessible 30 without having to pass through clinical areas. According to examples, persons cannot directly access certain rooms from certain other adjacent rooms. For example, as shown in Figure 2, a wall 186 is provided 27 06 25 between plant room 118 and decontamination room 186, to prevent access therebetween. In some examples, no direct access of persons between medical room 112 and decontamination room 114 is provided. Therefore, in examples the hatches 116 and 117 are sized and positioned to enable medical equipment to be 5 passed through, but would not enable a person to pass through. A door may be provided in the region of 188, for access into decontamination room 114 from second portion 104. This may assist in keeping medical procedure room 112 as clean and hygienic as possible. Overall, a very compact arrangement of a transportable medical unit is provided. For io example, the entire patient flow for an endoscopy procedure, as well as the needs of staff and guests / carers, are catered for within a single expandable unit 100. There is no need for patients or staff to move between different units when transferring from one part of the patient flow to another. This contrasts with known mobile medical services, which will typically comprise a number of separate units on site. In other 15 words, it has not previously been known to be able to offer an entire endoscopy service, from patient arrival to patient departure, within a single transportable unit, and that meets accreditation requirements. Moreover, it will be appreciated that the location of the various rooms relative to each other in unit 100, as shown in Figure 2, is not accidental or random. Rather, the 20 positioning has been carefully considered to facilitate movement of persons and equipment in the most efficient and safest way possible (for example with regard to hygiene requirements). The relative positioning of rooms also enables a compact overall arrangement. The transportable medical unit 100 can be deployed on-site very quickly, including 25 connection to utilities. In some examples, once on-site the transportable medical unit 100 can be deployed and ready for use within half an hour. This compares to a full day or even a number of days compared to deployment of known mobile endoscopy services. It will be understood that the foregoing description is provided by way of example 30 only, and is non-limiting on the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. 27 06 25

Claims

1. A transportable medical unit that is configured to be transformable from a first configuration in which the medical unit is in a non-expanded state to a second configuration in which the medical unit is in an expanded state, the transportable medical unit comprising:a first portion which is configured to remain static whilst the medical unit is transformed from the first configuration to the second configuration; anda second portion which is configured to move outwardly from the first portion when the medical unit is transformed from its first configuration to its second configuration, the first portion having a floor that is arranged to remain fixed in place as the transportable medical unit is transformed from the first configuration to the second configuration and vice versa, wherein the floor does not have any hinged portions;and wherein the first portion comprises a first area, a second area, and a third area that is located between the first area and the second area, the second area comprising a decontamination room for decontaminating medical equipment, the decontamination room comprising a sink for initial washing of the medical equipment, a middle wash area for further washing or decontamination of the medical equipment and a trolley for placing decontaminated medical equipment and the third area comprising a room for carrying out a medical procedure, the medical procedure comprising an invasive medical procedure, and the room for carrying out the medical procedure located mid-way between a first end of the medical unit and a second end of the medical unit.

2. A transportable medical unit according to claim 1, comprising a hatch between the decontamination room and the room for carrying out a medical procedure.

3. A transportable medical unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the second area comprises a plant room, the decontamination room located between the27 06 25plant room and the room for carrying out a medical procedure and the plant room comprising at least one of: an air handling unit; electrical circuits, server units; or water pumps.

4. A transportable medical unit according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first area comprises a preparation room for preparation of patients for the medical procedure and a movement room for movement of patients, the movement room located between the preparation room and the room for carrying out a medical procedure.

5. A transportable medical unit according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the floor of the first portion is sealed to prevent ingress of contaminants into the first portion.

6. A transportable medical unit according to any of claims 1 to 5, the second portion having one or more movable elements to facilitate movement of the second portion when the transportable medical unit is transforming between the first configuration and the second configuration.

7. A transportable medical unit according to claim 6, the one or more movable elements comprising one or more of: a movable floor; one or more movable partitions.

8. A transportable medical unit according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second portion is arranged for non-clinical activities.

9. A transportable medical unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the second portion comprising a reception area for receiving patients when the transportable medical unit is in the second configuration.27 06 2510. A transportable medical unit according to any of claims 1 to 9, the second portion comprising a movable reception desk.

11. A transportable medical unit according to any of claims 1 to 10, comprising one or more sliding doors for providing access between the first region and the second region.

12. A transportable medical unit according to any of claims 1 to 11, comprising: a power connector for connecting the transportable medical unit to a power source; a waste water connector for taking waste water away from the transportable medical unit; a fresh water connector for connecting to a fresh water supply.

13. A transportable medical unit according to any of claims 1 to 12, comprising: a single power connector for connecting the transportable medical unit to a power source; a single waste water connector for taking waste water away from the transportable medical unit; a single fresh water connector for connecting to a fresh water supply.

14. A transportable medical unit according to claim 12 or claim 13, the power connector, the waste water connector and the fresh water connector being located adjacent each other on a connector unit located on an exterior of the transportable medical unit.

15. A transportable medical unit according to any of claims 1 to 14, the medical procedure comprising an endoscopy.

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