Transportable Medical Facility

Abstract

A transportable medical facility ( 10 ) is convertible between a compacted condition for transport on a low loading trailer ( 51 ), and an expanded, free-standing condition for use. The transportable medical facility ( 10 ) comprises a base structure ( 11 ), a roof structure ( 14 ) and a pair of external side walls ( 15, 16 ) which together define an internal working area ( 19 ) when the facility ( 10 ) is in its expanded condition. Internal walls ( 26, 27 ) divide the internal working area ( 19 ) into a procedure room ( 38 ), a recovery ward ( 41 ) and other rooms such as an entrance lobby ( 28 ), a main waiting room ( 29 ), a sub waiting room ( 31 ), a staff lavatory ( 32 ), a patient lavatory ( 33 ), clean and dirty utility rooms ( 34, 35 ), a consultation room ( 36 ), a pre-procedural lobby ( 37 ), a patient changing room ( 43 ) a further dirty utility room ( 44 ) for the recovery ward ( 41 ).

1 . A transportable medical facility, convertible between a compacted condition for transport on a low loading trailer, and an expanded, free-standing condition for use, said transportable medical facility comprising:
 a base structure, a roof structure and a pair of external side walls which, when said facility is in its expanded condition, define an internal working area;   and   internal walls which, when said facility is in its expanded condition, define a plurality of rooms within said working area, comprising at least a procedure room and a recovery ward.   
   
   
       2 . A transportable medical facility as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said recovery ward is capable of accommodating at least four, and preferably nine beds for patients. 
   
   
       3 . A transportable medical facility as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of rooms defined within the working area when the facility is in its expanded condition further comprises a main waiting room, a sub waiting room and optionally one or more supplementary rooms selected from clean and dirty utility rooms, a consultation room, staff and patient changing rooms, staff and patient lavatories and one or more lobbies. 
   
   
       4 . A transportable medical facility as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of rooms defined within the internal working area are arranged such that the main waiting room is adjacent the sub waiting room, the sub waiting room is adjacent the procedure room and the recovery ward, and the procedure room is adjacent the recovery ward, and wherein access doors are provided in the internal walls between each said pair of adjacent rooms, such that in use a patient may be processed sequentially through the main and sub waiting rooms, the procedure room and the recovery ward. 
   
   
       5 . A transportable medical facility as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein one or both external side walls are mounted on a pair of hydraulic rams to enable conversion of said facility between its compacted and its expanded conditions by movement of said one or both external side walls in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the facility. 
   
   
       6 . A transportable medical facility as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the base structure is provided with from hydraulic lifting legs to enable deployment of said facility from its low loader trailer to its free-standing position, and vice versa. 
   
   
       7 . A transportable medical facility as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the base structure is further provided, at spaced reinforced locations, with a plurality of adjustable feet, adapted to support said facility in a level position when deployed in its expanded condition. 
   
   
       8 . A transportable medical facility as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the ratio of the total floor area within the internal working area when the facility is in its expanded condition relative to the total floor area within the facility when in its compacted condition is at least 2:1 and preferably substantially 2.38:1. 
   
   
       9 . A transportable medical facility as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the roof structure has one or more air ducts formed therein, in communication with the ambient via inlet and outlet vents and with the internal working area via internal vents, and wherein said ducts house one or more air conditioning and/or purifying elements selected from pre-filters, High Efficiency Particulate Air filters and fans arranged to drive circulation of the air through the ducts and the internal working area.