WO2013030537A1

WO2013030537A1 - Modular sealable enclosure for assembly in a space

Info

Publication number: WO2013030537A1
Application number: PCT/GB2012/052045
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nicholas Mark Turner Adams
Original assignee: Bioquell Uk Limited
Priority date: 2011-08-26
Filing date: 2012-08-21
Publication date: 2013-03-07
Also published as: GB201114911D0

Abstract

This invention is directed towards a modular sealable enclosure for deployment inside a space such as a hospital room, ward or unit, to reduce the spread of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) and to facilitate decontamination of an area known or thought to contain the pathogens which cause HAIs. The modular sealable enclosure comprises a plurality of side panels and sealing means to seal one side panel to one or more other side panels to form an enclosure with at least one side wall, a ceiling and a floor. The enclosure further comprises at least one opening provided in at least one side wall and at least one closure for selectively covering and sealing the at least one opening. The at least one closure comprises a blind and clamping means for sealing the blind to the side wall. The enclosure further comprises means to connect the enclosure to an adjacent enclosure.

Description

MODULAR SEALABLE ENCLOSURE FOR ASSEMBLY IN A SPACE

This invention is directed towards a modular sealable enclosure for deployment inside space such as a hospital room, ward or unit, to reduce, directly or indirectly, the spread of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) between patients, or between the inanimate hospital environment and patients and to facilitate decontamination of an area known or thought to contain the pathogens which cause HAIs.

Open plan hospital rooms, wards or units containing multiple beds (known as multiple bed rooms) are commonplace as they provide an efficient layout for hospital staff caring for multiple patients. In multiple bed rooms, only a few hospital staff are required to oversee a larger number of patients as the patients are always visible to the hospital staff. The hospital staff can, therefore, both quickly identify emergencies and quickly move to a patient in order to treat them. Furthermore, in comparison to utilising multiple single bed hospital rooms, a higher number of beds may be placed within a certain floor area and the costs of the construction of the hospital are reduced significantly . However, the use of multiple bed rooms increases the risk of HAIs, such as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) , spreading between patients. Scientific research has shown that HAIs may spread between patients via direct contact (i.e. physical contact), which may involve a Healthcare Worker (HCW) , and/or via indirect contact (i.e. patients or HCWs contaminating a surface which another patient later contacts and becomes infected; or via airborne or droplet transmission of pathogens) . Two of the preventative measures which can be undertaken to reduce the spread of HAIs comprise, firstly, decontaminating a room which is already known to contain, or thought to be at an elevated risk of containing, pathogens which cause HAIs before the pathogens spread to other rooms and/or equipment and, secondly, reducing contact between patients and/or HCWs to reduce the spread of such nosocomial pathogens. It is possible to decontaminate a room by hand cleaning all of the surfaces with a disinfectant. However, such a method is time consuming for hospital staff and, due to human error, it is unlikely that all of the surfaces will be sufficiently decontaminated. Furthermore, the air within the room will not be decontaminated.

A method of decontaminating a hospital room that is known or thought to contain pathogens which cause HAIs is vapour phase decontamination, an example of which is

disclosed in WO-A-2008/145990. A decontamination unit is placed in a room which requires decontamination. In summary the unit releases a flow of decontaminating hydrogen

peroxide vapour which is distributed within the room until it reaches dewpoint and lays down a thin layer of hydrogen peroxide solution on each surface in order to effect

decontamination of all of the internal surfaces. The

hydrogen peroxide vapour eliminates the pathogens both in the air in the room and on the surfaces of the objects within the room. Finally, the room is aerated, typically via a catalytic convertor, as the hydrogen peroxide vapour is drawn back into the unit for removal from the air. Alternative methods of decontaminating a room include nebulized or aerosolized disinfection/decontamination devices and sterilization by ozone gas. Ultraviolet (UV) light may also be used to decontaminate a room.

The decontaminant used in such processes, such as hydrogen peroxide used in vapour phase decontamination, is likely to be harmful to humans and, as a result, the staff and patients must be removed from the hospital room prior to decontamination. If a multiple bed room is to be

decontaminated, a large number of patients and staff must be moved and a large number of extra beds would need to be found in other rooms in the hospital to hold the patients whilst decontamination takes place. The hospital room may also need to be kept gas tight during decontamination, for example during vapour phase decontamination, to prevent potentially harmful decontaminant from escaping to other parts of the hospital and, if necessary, to enable the decontamination unit to maintain effectively saturation conditions of the decontaminant. If the hospital room is a multiple bed room, it is likely to be large and, therefore, it may be difficult to keep gas tight. Furthermore,

decontamination of a large room will take a relatively long time since the decontamination unit must decontaminate a relatively large volume of air and surfaces.

A method of reducing the volume of an area required for decontamination is disclosed in JP-A-2011-056161, wherein a contaminated bed is placed within an enclosure and ozone is released into the enclosure to decontaminate the bed. The enclosure is comprised of a square-bottomed bag, made of polyethylene film, placed over a frame of metal piping. However, the use of such an enclosure is restricted since contaminated objects fixed to the walls or vertical columns of a hospital room, such as hand wash units, cannot be decontaminated. Additionally, since the enclosure is

temporary and closed at the front, it is only suitable for assembly for decontamination purposes since HCWs cannot access the enclosure freely. Furthermore, since the walls of the enclosure are flexible, it is not possible to attach hospital equipment, such as hand wash units, to the interior of the enclosure.

Methods of reducing contact between patients to prevent the spread of HAIs or other diseases include constructing hospitals with single bed rooms and placing infected

patients in temporary isolation rooms. One such patient isolation room is disclosed in US-A-2005-0050804. The room, comprising a frame constructed of rods and joints, and a preconfigured enclosure constructed of flexible thin

material, is held at a negative pressure by a blower/filter. The blower/filter draws air into the room via air inlets located near the top of the walls of the enclosure and into the blower/filter for disinfection. An air lock chamber is also provided for entry to and exit from the room via one slot in the outside of the air lock chamber and one slot in the enclosure between the air lock chamber and the room.

However, the isolation room of US-A-2005-0050804 requires a continuous air flow to disinfect any infected air and the blower/filter does not disinfect the surfaces within the cubicle. Furthermore, the air lock chamber prevents hospital staff from accessing the patient quickly in the case of an emergency. The costs of isolation rooms and constructing single bed rooms also tend to be relatively high, thereby preventing their widespread use to reduce the spread of HAIs. The construction of hospitals with single bed rooms is expensive due to, for example, the material costs, labour costs, heating costs, ventilation costs and air conditioning costs. Additionally, regulations concerning the minimum number of air changes over a period of time in a room are being/have been introduced in various countries.

Retrofitting single room hospitals with the required

ventilation means and running such ventilation means in order to comply with the regulations is relatively expensive compared to that of a multiple bed room.

The present invention is directed towards providing an enclosure and a method of utilising the enclosure which combines many of the benefits of a multiple bed hospital room, a room suitable for decontamination, a single bed hospital room and an isolation room.

The invention provides a modular sealable enclosure for assembly inside a space comprising; a plurality of side panels, sealing means to seal one side panel to one or more other side panels to form an enclosure with at least one side wall, a ceiling and a floor; at least one opening provided in at least one side wall; and at least one closure for selectively covering and sealing the at least one opening; said at least one closure comprising a blind and clamping means for sealing the blind to the side wall; and means to connect the enclosure to an adjacent enclosure. The enclosure can therefore be assembled without emptying the ward, or other space, and in a hospital

environment the patients can remain in certain of the beds This is advantageous over single or isolation rooms which would require builders who would create dust or noise and would require the ward/space to be closed. The invention therefore represents a considerable saving in operational costs and avoids loss of revenue for the hospital. The invention further provides a method of

decontaminating a modular sealable enclosure assembled in a space said enclosure comprising; a plurality of side panels, sealing means to seal one side panel to one or more other side panels to form an enclosure with at least one side wall, a ceiling and a floor; at least one opening provided in at least one side wall; at least one closure for

selectively covering and sealing the at least one opening; said at least one closure comprising a blind and clamping means for sealing the blind to the side wall; and means to connect the enclosure to an adjacent enclosure; wherein a decontamination unit is placed inside the enclosure; the enclosure is sealed by the clamping means sealing the blind to the side wall to cover the at least one opening; and operating the decontamination unit to sterilise the volume inside of the enclosure.

By way of example only, embodiments of a modular sealable enclosure for assembly inside a hospital room according to the present invention are now described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective representation of one

embodiment of the modular sealable enclosure of this invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of one embodiment of the modular sealable enclosure of this invention;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of one embodiment of the modular sealable enclosure of this invention;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the modular sealable enclosure of this invention;

Figure 5 is a perspective representation of one

embodiment of the modular sealable enclosure of this invention comprising a window which may be used to seal the back face to a wall of a room;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional representation of a sealing means of one embodiment of the modular sealable enclosure of this invention;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional representation of a sealing means for a window utilised in an embodiment of the modular sealable enclosure of this invention;

Figure 8 is a perspective representation of one

embodiment of the front section of the modular sealable enclosure of this invention with a door in the closed position sealing the opening; and

Figure 9 is a further perspective representation of an upper corner of the front section of the modular sealable enclosure shown Figure 8 with the door in an open position.

The present invention is generally directed towards a modular sealable enclosure for assembly within a space, such as a hospital ward or room, and a method utilising the enclosure to aid in the decontamination of the volume within the enclosure. One or more enclosures can be erected, each of which comprises a front opening such that when the enclosure is occupied by a patient, the hospital staff can easily observe the patient and enter the enclosure in the case of an emergency or for general medical care. Further, the hospital bed on which the patient is lying may pass through the front opening and air may pass unimpeded into the enclosure. Once the patient has been removed from an enclosure a decontamination unit is placed in the enclosure, the enclosure sealed by covering the opening and the

decontamination unit operated to decontaminate the air and the surfaces within the enclosure. The enclosure may also comprise means to seal the enclosure to the wall of the hospital room, such that any equipment on the wall is included within the volume to be decontaminated.

Although the enclosures are intended for use in a hospital environment they can of course be used in other applications where it is required to provide one or more smaller enclosed areas in a larger space, each of which can be left open or sealed for decontamination.

Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of an enclosure 10, which is assembled from a number of side panels to form a, preferably, cuboid shaped enclosure 10. Each of the side panels preferably has four edges and the edges are provided with edge sealing means to enable each side panel to be sealably attached to one or more other side panels. Once the enclosure 10 is assembled, it preferably has a number of side walls, such as a front face 11, a back face 12, a first side face 13 and an opposing second side face 14, together with a ceiling 15 and a floor 16, although some variations are discussed below. In one embodiment, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, the side panels may be constructed from a number of

subpanels 20, 21 sealed within a rigid frame 22. The frame 22 is assembled from a number of frame members in the form of struts 23 and cross pieces 24, which may be composed of aluminium or any other suitable material, connected together by suitable linkage means during assembly. The profile of the struts 23 and cross pieces 24 may be hollow, square, circular, I-shaped, T-shaped or any other shape suitable for sealing with the flexible members. Figure 6 illustrates an example of a profile for a strut 23 or cross piece 24, as previously disclosed in EP-A-2017483. EP-A-2017483 also discloses some suitable linkages for connecting the struts 23 and cross pieces 24 together.

Although the frame 22 is preferably constructed such that the enclosure 10 is cuboid in shape, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, the enclosure 10 may be any other suitable shape, such as a hexagonal prism, a triangular prism or a shallow cylinder. The struts 23 which comprise the edges of the side panels of the enclosure 10 define the shape of the enclosure 10 and these struts 23 may be supported by cross pieces 24 that cross the sides between opposing edges.

The subpanels 20, 21 are formed of sheets from a suitable gas impermeable or semi-impermeable material, such as rigid or flexible film plastic or glass. The subpanels 20 which form the side panels of the front face 11, the back face 12 and the first and second side faces 13, 14 are preferably constructed from 3mm thick polycarbonate

sheeting. The subpanels 20 are preferably transparent to ensure that a patient within the enclosure 10 is visible to the hospital staff, thereby improving their observation and treatment. The subpanels 20 may be completely transparent or may allow for up to 50% of incident light to be transmitted through the panels 20. Alternatively, if the decontamination means utilises UV light, the subpanels 20, 21 may be opaque to ensure that the UV light is not transmitted out of the enclosure 10. The UV light may not, therefore, harm patients and/or HCWs . The subpanels 21 which form the ceiling 15 are preferably thicker, and may be constructed from 6mm thick polycarbonate sheeting.

The size of the enclosure 10 may be varied by using different numbers of subpanels 20, 21 to form each of the front face 11, the back face 12, the first side face 13, the second side face 14, the ceiling 15 and the floor 16. The struts 23, cross pieces 24 and subpanels 20, 21 may be of different sizes and/or connected together to form enclosures 10 of different sizes and/or shapes. The enclosure 10 may, therefore, be expanded to fit different quantities and/or sizes of hospital equipment within it.

Figure 6 illustrates an exemplary edge sealing means and an exemplary manner in which the subpanels 20, 21 may be sealed to the struts 23 and cross pieces 24. A reusable compression seal 26 is attached to the edges of the

subpanels 20, 21. The compression seal 26 is inserted into a slot 27 running at least partly along the length of a strut 23 or cross piece 24. When the compression seal 26 is inserted into the slot 27 it is compressed, thereby forming an airtight seal between the subpanel 20, 21 and the strut 23 or cross piece 24. The compression seal 26 may be composed of a flexible rubber, such as, for example,

Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) . In an alternative embodiment, the compression seal comprises a strip of flexible material, such as rubber, on the inner and outer surfaces along the edges of the subpanels 20, 21. Each strip of flexible material is compressed when inserted into the slot 27 and thereby forms a seal.

The side panel forming the front face 11 of the

enclosure 10 comprises an opening 17 providing access for patients, staff and equipment. Alternatively, the front face 11 may have no side panel so that the entire front face 11 forms the opening 17. Means are provided at an appropriate location on the enclosure 10 to enable a door 18 or other closure to be selectively attached to sealably close the opening 17. There may be more than one opening 17 in the front face 11 and there may be an opening 17 in other faces 13, 14, 15 of the enclosure 10. The door 18 is preferably rectangular and has four edges. Depending on the nature of the attachment means provided on the enclosure 10, the door 18 may also have means which interact with the door attachments means. When door 18 is attached so as to close the opening 17, a seal is formed between the edges of the door 18 and the perimeter of the opening 17 and the volume on the inside of the enclosure 10 is sealed from the surrounding environment such that gases and fluids may not pass between the two. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 5, the door 18 is a flexible film. The door attachment means of the opening 17 comprise slotted members 35, 36 attached to the struts 23 at the edges of the opening 17. When positioned over the opening 17, the top edge of the door 18 is firstly inserted into a horizontal slotted member 35 attached to the struts 23 at the top of the opening 17. The side edges of the door 18 are then inserted into vertical slotted members 36 along the vertical edges of the opening 17 and the bottom of the door 18 is sealed to the floor of the room. A seal may be formed when the top and side edges are inserted into the slotted members 35, 36. Alternatively, the flexible film is double-skinned and air is pumped into the gap in between the skins, thereby forcing the skins against the edges of the slotted members 35, 36. The door 18 thereby forms an

airtight seal over the opening 17. Alternatively, the door 18 may be comprised of a rigid panel. The door 18 may be attached to one side of the opening 17 by a hinge and fixed in place by any conventional door locking means so as to cover the opening 17 and form a seal with the struts 23 at the edges of the opening 17. A compression seal, such as a closed cell sealing foam, is provided along the edges of the door 18 which forms an airtight seal when compressed against to the struts 23. The door 18 may be fixed in place by bolting the door 18 to the frame 22.

In a further embodiment the door 18 may comprise a flexible film with a compression seal located along its edges. The door 18 is clamped in place, thereby compressing and sealing the compression seal, and the bottom of the door 18 is sealed to the hospital room floor. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, the door 18 comprises a blind 40 formed from a flexible sheet of material. An edge of the blind 40 is attached along the length of a roller 41, thereby forming a roller blind, and the roller 41 may be rotated to wrap or unwrap the blind 40 thereabouts. The roller 41 is attached to the front face 11 on the top strut 23 above the opening 17 and, when unwrapped from the roller 41, the blind 40 hangs down over the opening 17. Alternatively, the blind 40 may not be attached to any part of the enclosure 10 and is manually located over the opening 17 when required. In further alternatives, the blind 40 may be attached to a strut 23 or cross-piece 24 and may be secured by securing means in a folded position such that it does not cover the opening 17.

The blind 40 is sealed to the strut (s) 23 and/or cross- piece (s) 24 by one or more sealing members 42, 43, 44, which close off and form an airtight seal over the opening 17. The sealing members 42, 43, 44 comprise two side clamping means 42, 43, formed from bars extending from the bottom to the top of each strut 23 forming the side of the opening 17, and a top clamping means 44, formed from a bar extending along the length of the top strut 23 of the opening 17. Each sealing member 42, 43, 44 is rotatably attached by one or more hinges 45 to the strut(s) 23 and/or cross-piece ( s ) 24. In particular, two hinges 45 connected to the top clamping means 44 are attached to a strut 23 on either side of the roller 41 such that the blind 40 can pass therebetween.

Flexible rubber strips 46 are provided along the length of each sealing member 42, 43, 44 for forming a seal. The sealing members 42, 43, 44 may be rotated about the hinges 45 such that the rubber strips 46 contact the outer side of the blind 40, thereby clamping the edges of the blind 40 between the sealing members 42, 43, 44 and the struts 23 at the edge of the opening 17. The sealing members 42, 43, 44 may be secured in this clamped position by locking means 47, 48, such as a latch or hook. In the embodiment shown, the top clamping means 44 locking means 48 comprise overhanging members extending from the top of each side clamping means 42, 43. When the side clamping means 42, 43 are in the clamped position, the overhanging members contact the outer side of the top clamping means 44, thereby securing the top clamping means 44 in the clamped position. The lower edge of the blind 40 is sealed to the floor

16 using a sealing foam, adhesive tape or the like. The blind 40 may thereby form an airtight seal with the

enclosure 10 over the opening 17. When the sealing members 42, 43, 44 are moved from the clamped position into an open position (as shown in Figure 9), the blind 40 may be wrapped around the roller 41 or removed.

In a preferred embodiment the floor 16 is provided by the floor of the hospital room in which the enclosure 10 is placed. The struts 23 at the base of the enclosure 10 form an airtight seal with the floor. As illustrated in Figure 4, an underside of the struts 23 are provided with sealing means 34, such as a length of sealing foam, preferably in the form of a closed cell foam. The sealing means 34 are preferably adhesively attached along the entire underside of the struts 23 at the bottom of the enclosure 10. When the sealing means 34 is compressed, an airtight seal is formed. There may be several lengths of sealing means 34, one for each side of the enclosure 10, which may be mitred at the corners of the enclosure 10 to ensure that leakage does not occur. Alternatively, the floor 16 may be formed of a panel sealed to the frame 22, as described previously herein.

One or more of the sides of the enclosure 10 may be formed at least partially of the walls, vertical columns or other structural members of the hospital room in which the enclosure 10 has been assembled by sealing one or more of the other sides to the wall, vertical column or structural member. The frame 22 may be sealed to the wall, vertical column or structural member with sealing means 34 similar to that described above. The sealing means may be attached along perimeter of the first side face 13, the second side face 14 and/or the back wall 12. When the sealing means 34 is compressed against the hospital wall, vertical column or structural member an airtight seal is formed. The size and shape the faces 12, 13, 14, ceiling 15 or floor 16 may be adjusted to suit the shape of the wall, vertical column or structural member of the hospital room. In the embodiment comprising the frame 22 and subpanels 20, 21, the size and/or shape of the sub panels 20, 21, struts 23 and/or cross pieces 24 may be adapted. For example, if a cylindrical vertical column passes through the ceiling 15 of the enclosure 10, the subpanels 21 and/or cross pieces 24 would comprise a circular opening. The perimeter of the circular opening would be sealed to the surface of the cylindrical vertical column using the sealing means 34. The enclosure 10 may also comprise a ceiling window 38 attached to one of the struts 23 or cross pieces 24 using hinges 39. The ceiling window 38 may open by pivoting about the hinges 39 and may be locked in the closed position shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 using a latch (not illustrated) . When the ceiling window 38 is locked in the closed position, for example but not restricted to during decontamination, an airtight seal is formed with the struts 23 and/or cross pieces 24. The sealing means may be a compression seal. The opening of the ceiling window 38 improves the airflow through the enclosure 10 and thereby improves patient comfort .

The enclosure 10 may also comprise a window 19 in one of the back or side faces 12, 13, 14. The window 19

comprises sealing means to seal the window 19 to a wall, vertical column or structural member of the hospital room. The area of the hospital wall, vertical column or structural member enclosed by the window 19 and any equipment located on the hospital wall, vertical column or structural member enclosed by the window 19 is included within the volume of the enclosure 10 and is, therefore, decontaminated during the decontamination process. The window 19 may be positioned at any suitable location on the enclosure 10. The window 19 may be of any shape and size and may even comprise the whole of one side of the enclosure 10.

As illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7, the window 19 may be formed of a window frame 29, a plurality of window struts 30, a flexible film 31 and a window seal 32 which is preferably a compression seal composed of a closed cell sealing foam. The window seal 32 is attached around a face of the perimeter of the window frame 29. The window struts 30 are attached at one end to the window frame 29 and at the opposing end to a strut 23 or crosspiece 24 of the frame 22. The window struts 30 are extendable or compressible, and may be any type of extendable or compressible strut, such as, for example, gas struts, adjustable force gas struts or mechanical struts. Although Figure 5 illustrates the use of four window struts 30, there may be any suitable number of window struts 30 positioned at suitable intervals around the perimeter of the window 19.

The flexible film 31 extends between, and is sealed to, the frame struts 23 or cross pieces 24 and the window frame 29 forming an enclosed channel extending outwardly from the face 12, 13, 14 of the enclosure 10. An airtight seal is formed when the window compression seal 32 is compressed against a wall, vertical column or structural member of a hospital room, by suitably positioning the enclosure 10 and either extending or compressing the gas struts 30. The flexible film 31 is sufficiently flexible such that it still encloses the space within the volume of the window 19 regardless of the extension of the window struts 30.

The frame 22 and subpanels 20, 21 are such that either a single enclosure 10 can be constructed or a series of, preferably interconnected, enclosures 10 can be constructed. The struts 23 of the frame 22 preferably provide the means for connecting one enclosure 10 to a second enclosure.

Preferably at least one of the side faces 13, 14, the front face 11 or the back face 12 of a first enclosure 10 may be connected to at least one of the side faces 13, 14, the front face 11 or the back face 12 of at least a second enclosure 10. Alternatively, at least one side of a first enclosure 10 forms one side of an adjacent enclosure 10. Thus, a series of enclosures 10 with shared sides may be assembled in a multiple bed ward, such that each bed is contained within an enclosure 10.

The struts 23 and cross pieces 24 are preferably designed to interconnect to provide a means for connecting adjacent enclosures 10.

The enclosure 10 may also comprise a catalytic filter pressure relief valve. The catalytic filter may be carbon based or utilise any other such suitable catalytic medium. The catalytic filter pressure relief valve is preferably positioned on the back face 12 of the enclosure 10. The catalytic filter pressure relief valve releases air from the enclosure 10 if the pressure within the enclosure 10 rises above a safe level. The pressure rise may occur due to a temperature change of the air inside the enclosure 10 during decontamination. The catalytic filter breaks down any sterilizing gas/vapour into components which are not harmful to humans and, therefore, the gas/vapour may be safely released by the catalytic filter pressure relief valve into a multiple bed room.

The enclosure 10 may further comprise features, located internally or externally on the faces 11, 12, 13, 14 or ceiling 15, such as electrical lighting, alcohol dispensers, rubber glove dispensers, printed hygiene guidelines and other accessories. The enclosure 10 may further comprise an opaque privacy curtain attached internally or externally to the faces 11, 12, 13, 14 or ceiling 15. The top of the privacy curtain may be slidably attached to a rail, the rail being attached across the top of faces 11, 12, 13, 14 or ceiling 15, such that it can cover any required area of the faces 11, 12, 13, 14 or ceiling 15. The privacy curtain may be sufficiently opaque such that it renders the enclosure 10 suitable for UV decontamination by preventing the UV light from being transmitted into the hospital room.

In another embodiment (not shown) the side panels are formed of single sheets of material which form the rigid structure and shape of the enclosure 10. Sealing means are provided adjacent to the edges of the sides to seal each side to at least one other side. In a further embodiment (not shown) the enclosure 10 comprises a flexible film placed over the top of and covering the external frame 22. The flexible film is sealed to the ground around the bottom of the enclosure 10. An opening 17, sealable by a door 18, is provided in one of the sides 11, 12, 13, 14 of the flexible film. The enclosure 10 may further comprise any of the features, including the window 19, as described

previously herein.

In the embodiment wherein the enclosure 10 is

constructed from a frame 22 and subpanels 20, 21, the struts 23 and cross pieces 24 are first connected to one another and then subpanels 20, 21 are sealed to the struts 23 and cross pieces 24. The window 19 may be attached to the struts 23 and cross pieces 24 and sealed against the wall of the hospital room. If a window 19 is not required, a subpanel 20, 21 is utilised in place of a window 19. When the enclosure 10 is occupied by a patient the door 18 does not cover the opening 17. This ensures that hospital staff can see the patient easily and enter the enclosure 10 quickly in the case of an emergency. Furthermore, hospital staff can easily move beds and other hospital equipment in and out of the enclosure 10.

Once the patient has left the enclosure 10, the

enclosure 10 may be decontaminated. The process of

decontamination begins by placing a decontamination unit inside the enclosure 10 and the door 18 is sealed over the opening 17. The decontamination unit is then operated to sterilise the air and surfaces inside of the enclosure 10. The decontamination unit may utilise any suitable means of decontamination or sterilisation using a wide variety of decontaminants and sterilants, some examples of which include ozone, low concentration peroxide aerosolizers, low concentration peroxide nebulizers, UV light or hydrogen peroxide vapour phase decontamination. Once decontamination is complete the door 18 is removed and the enclosure 10 is ready for the next patient.

The modular sealable enclosure 10 and the method of decontaminating the enclosure 10 may be utilised in a wide variety of medical or other situations. The enclosure 10 may be assembled within a hospital room temporarily or for a long period of time.

Whilst the enclosure 10 is intended for assembly inside a multiple bed hospital room, it may also be used in other applications or environments. The enclosure 10 reduces the spread of HAIs since the walls act as physical barriers between patients, thereby by reducing the likelihood of direct or indirect patient contact, including via the hands of HCWs and contaminated air or water droplets. However, the enclosure 10 maintains the benefits provided by a multiple bed hospital ward, such as an efficient use of floor space, easy access to patients and good visibility of patients. Furthermore, the enclosure 10 provides the benefits of a single bed room. However, since the enclosure 10 is open during occupation by a patient, regulations concerning the number of air changes over a period of time in a room do not apply. The enclosure 10 does not require separate

ventilation means to the multiple bed room in which it is situated and, therefore, the costs of meeting such

regulations are confined to providing a single ventilation means for the multiple bed room. Furthermore, as the

enclosure 10 does not require separate ventilation means for decontamination, the costs of the enclosure 10 are reduced in comparison to the isolation rooms which require separate ventilation means.

The ease with which the enclosure 10 may be fully sealed enables rapid decontamination of an area previously occupied by a patient which is known to contain the

pathogens which cause HAIs. If pathogens were known to exist on a single bed in a multiple bed room, the volume of the entire room would require decontamination. However, if the bed is within the enclosure 10, only the volume within the enclosure 10 requires decontamination. The time taken for decontamination and the movement of patients are thereby substantially reduced.

In order to reduce significantly the spread of HAIs, the enclosure 10 can be decontaminated after occupation of each patient. Hospital staff are not burdened with the need to spend significant amounts of time thoroughly disinfecting an area after a patient has left; the hospital staff can simply put a decontamination unit in the enclosure 10, seal the door to the enclosure 10 and then leave the

decontamination unit to operate the decontamination cycle.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A modular sealable enclosure for assembly inside a space comprising;

a plurality of side panels, sealing means to seal one side panel to one or more other side panels to form an enclosure with at least one side wall, a ceiling and a floor;

at least one opening provided in at least one side wall; and

at least one closure for selectively covering and sealing the at least one opening;

said at least one closure comprising a blind and clamping means for sealing the blind to the side wall; and

means to connect the enclosure to an adjacent enclosure .

2. The enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the enclosure connecting means connects at least one of the side walls of the enclosure to at least a side wall of the adjacent enclosure .

3. The enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the enclosure connecting means connects edges of at least one side of the enclosure to edges of at least one side of the adjacent enclosure such that the adjoining enclosures share a common side .

4. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the side panels are formed by a plurality of frame members assembled to form a rigid frame, a plurality of subpanels and the sealing means sealing the sub panels to the frame members.

5. The enclosure as claimed in claim 4 wherein the subpanels are rigid.

6. The enclosure as claimed in claim 4 wherein the subpanels are flexible.

7. The enclosure as claimed in claims 4 to 6 wherein the subpanels are at least partially transparent.

8. The enclosure as claimed in claims 4 to 6 wherein the subpanels are opaque.

9. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the sealing means comprise a compression seal .

10. The enclosure as claimed in claim 9 wherein the

compression seal is positioned along edges of each subpanel and the compression seal is inserted into a slot on a frame member .

11. The enclosure as claimed in claims 9 and 10 wherein the compression seal comprises a flexible rubber.

12. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the blind is attached to a roller, said roller being rotatable to wrap and unwrap the blind.

13. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the clamping means comprise two bars

extending from the bottom to the top of the sides of the opening, and a top bar extending along the length of the top of the opening.

14. The enclosure as claimed in claim 13 wherein the bars are rotatably attached to the side wall and are operable to clamp the blind to the side wall to form a seal

therebetween.

15. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising a window having means for sealing said window to the wall, a vertical column or other

structural member of the space in which the enclosure is assembled .

16. The enclosure as claimed in claim 15 wherein the window comprises a window frame connected by rigid struts to a side of the enclosure and a flexible film extending from the enclosure side to the frame.

17. The enclosure as claimed in claim 16 wherein the window is sealed to the wall, vertical column or other structural member of the hospital room by a window compression seal attached to a perimeter of the window frame.

18. The enclosure as claimed in claim 17 wherein the window compression seal comprises a closed cell compression seal.

19. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein at least one of the enclosure side walls, ceiling or floor is at least partially provided by a wall, ceiling, vertical column, structural member or floor of a space in which the enclosure is assembled.

20. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the whole of the front face of the enclosure is formed from one opening.

21. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising a catalytic filter pressure relief valve located in the closure and/or at least one of the side panels .

22. A method of decontaminating a modular sealable enclosure assembled in a space said enclosure comprising;

at least one opening provided in at least one side wall ;

means to connect the enclosure to an adjacent enclosure ;

wherein a decontamination unit is placed inside the enclosure; the enclosure is sealed by the clamping means sealing the blind to the side wall to cover the at least one

opening; and

operating the decontamination unit to sterilise the volume inside of the enclosure.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the

sterilisation results from condensation within the volume of a decontaminant released by the decontamination unit.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the

decontaminant is comprised at least partially of hydrogen peroxide .

25. The method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the

decontamination unit sterilises the volume inside of the enclosure utilising one of ozone decontamination methods, low concentration hydrogen peroxide aerosolizers, low concentration peroxide nebulizers, UV light decontamination methods or hydrogen peroxide vapour phase decontamination.