This invention relates to a glazing system for an acute care facility and in particular to a glazing unit for an isolation room of an acute care facility and to an isolation room formed from such glazing system.

Infection control is a major concern in hospitals, particularly in acute care facilities. Increasing prevalence of anti-biotic resistant strains of bacteria have increased the need prevent the spread of infection in hospitals. Human sources of infecting micro-organisms in hospitals may be patients, personnel or visitors and may include persons with acute disease, persons in the incubation period of a disease, persons colonised by an infectious agent, or persons who are chronic carriers of an infectious agent. The primary aim of infection control is to prevent the spread of infection between patients, visitors and staff by control or containment of potentially pathogenic organisms. Many of these micro-organisms can be controlled by basic infection control practices such as hand hygiene and environmental hygiene. However, certain organisms, transmitted via the airborne route can only be contained by isolating the source patient in a negative pressure isolation room, and certain immunocompromised patients can only be protected by isolating the patient for their own protection in a positive pressure isolation room. According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a glazing system for an acute care facility, said glazing system comprising at least one glazing panel located between spaced apart support members, at least one spacer member being located between at least one of said support members and an adjacent face of said at least one glazing panel, said spacer member comprising a first part attachable to a said support member and a second part attachable to said adjacent face of said at least one glazing panel, said first and second parts having opposite wedge shaped abutting faces whereby said spacer member places a compressive loading on the glazing panel as the two parts of the spacer member are moved laterally with respect to one another to form an airtight seal between the support member and the glazing panel. Preferably each of said first and second parts of said at least one spacer member comprises a projecting portion extending beyond said wedged shape abutting face to lie, in use adjacent an end of the other of the first and second parts whereby a fastener, such as a screw, may be inserted through the projecting portion of one of said first and second parts to secure the first and second parts together. A resilient seal may be provided on said projecting portion for engaging said adjacent end of the other of the first and second to form an airtight seal therebetween.

Preferably at least a portion of said at least one glazing panel is substantially transparent.

Preferably resilient seal means, such as strip of a resilient material, are located on either side of the spacer member to respectively seal against the support member and the glazing panel. Preferably said first and second parts of the spacer member are formed from identical aluminium extrusions.

Preferably said spaced apart support members comprise vertically arranged support pillars.

Preferably said at least one glazing panel comprising a substantially rectangular glazing frame supporting spaced apart glazing panes. Preferably a one piece resilient seal is provide between each glazing pane and a cooperating face of the glazing frame form an air tight seal between the respective glazing pane and the support frame.

Flush fitting cover panels may be provided extending between and overlap adjacent glazing panes and/or extending between and overlap the glazing panes and an adjacent spacer member, or a cover plate extending over the support member and adjacent spacer members, to cover any gaps between the glazing panes and adjacent structures provide a smooth outer finish to the glazing system. Seal mean may be provided between the flush fitting cover panels and the portions of the glazing panes over which the cover panels are fitted. Each cover panel may be secured to a respective glazing frame via releasable fasteners, such as screws. The head of said screws may be covered by cap means to provide a smooth surface finish. Preferably a blind assembly is provided between the spaced glazing panes of said at least one glazing panel for selectively obscuring the glazing panel.

Preferably said blind assembly comprises a motorised drive system for operating said blind assembly. Preferably said blind assembly and the associated drive mechanism is accessible from outside of the glazing panel. Preferably an access panel is provided on the glazing panel adjacent the drive system of the blind to allow access to said drive mechanism and to permit maintenance of the blind assembly. Preferably said access panel comprises a flush fitting cover panel adapted to extend between glazing on either side of an access opening for providing access to the blind assembly. Preferably said cover panel extends in overlapping relationship over adjacent faces of the glazing on either side of the access opening.

According to further aspect of the present invention there is provided an isolation room for an acute care facility, said isolation room comprising a hermetically sealed enclosure whereby a differential pressure can be maintained between the isolation room and the surroundings, wherein at least a portion of the walls of the isolation room are formed from glazing panels, wherein at least a portion of the glazing panels are transparent. Preferably said isolation room is formed from the glazing system of the first aspect of the invention.

Preferably said isolation room is provided with an anteroom having defining a first door providing access to the interior of the isolation room and a second door providing access to the an adjacent room or corridor, said door being interconnected or interlocked so that only one of said doors can be opened at a time to maintain said differential pressure between the isolation room and the surroundings.

Preferably all surfaces of the isolation room are smooth and easy to clean. Such can be achieved by the use of flush fitting covers and formations over the joins between said glazing panels and the floor and ceiling of the isolation room. Preferably all surfaces of the isolation room are formed from smooth, non-porous materials.

Preferably each glazing panels is formed from one or more pairs of spaced apart glazing panes, a blind assembly being provided between said glazing panes for selectively obscuring said glazing panel. Preferably said blind assembly includes a motorised drive mechanism, said drive mechanism being accessible from the exterior of the isolation room. A detachable access panel may be provided on an exterior wall of each panel to provide access to the blind assembly and in particular to the drive mechanism thereof.

Preferably a plant room is provided adjacent the isolation room. Preferably said plant room is accessible from outside of the acute care facility.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an acute care facility comprising a plurality of glazing panels defining walls and partitions of the acute care facility, wherein at least a portion of the glazing panels are transparent. Preferably said acute care facility is defined by a glazing system in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.

Preferably the acute care facility includes at least one isolation room in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention.

An access corridor may be provided around at least one side of the acute care facility, preferably around two or three sides of the acute care facility, wherein said transparent glazing panels enable persons in the access corridor to see into the acute care facility, for example to allow visitors to see into the acute care facility without coming into physical contact with persons located therein.

Preferably each of the glazing panels of the acute care facility are provided with a blind assembly to enable each glazing panel to be selectively obscured. Preferably each glazing panels comprises parallel spaced part glazing panes, said blind assembly being provided between said glazing panels. Preferably said blind assembly is accessible for servicing and/or replacement via an access panel provided on an outer side of the glazing panel so that the blind assembly can be accessed from outside of the acute care facility.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an isolation room in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan sectional view of the isolation room of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a detailed sectional view of region A of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detailed sectional view of region B of Figure 2; and Figure 5 is a detailed sectional view of a blind access panel of the isolation room of Figure 1 .

As illustrated in Figure 1 , an isolation room 10 is formed from a plurality of glazing panels 20 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention to define a hermetically sealed enclosure for enclosing a patient in isolation from the rest of an acute care ward.

The isolation room 10 is adapted to define a pressurised or depressurised clean room having an air pressure up to 50 Pa positive or negative pressure differential with respect to the air pressure in the acute care ward. By reducing the pressure in the isolation room 10 to below the air pressure in the rest of the acute care ward, any air flow between the acute care ward and the isolation room will be from the ward into the isolation room whereby pathogens transmitted via the airborne route can be contained within the isolation room. Alternatively, by elevating the pressure in the isolation room 10 above that in the adjoining ward immunocompromised patients can be effectively isolated from airborne micro-organisms within the ward. The isolation room 10 is provided with an anteroom 12 forming an airlock between the interior of the isolation room 10 and the rest of the ward to maintain the pressure differential between the isolation room 10 and the rest of the ward. The anteroom 12 is provided with inner and outer sets of doors 14, 16. The doors 14,16 are interlocked so that the inner doors 14 will not open until the outer doors 16 are closed and vice versa. The operation of the doors 14, 16 may be controlled by a

programmable controller. Each set of inner and outer doors 14, 16 is adapted to provide a substantially airtight seal when closed, for example by means of suitable resilient seal means. Each set of doors 14,16 may be programmed to open fully to provide access for beds and large equipment and to open only partially, to a reduced width, to provide access for staff to minimise pressure loss during access to the antechamber 12 and isolation room 10.

An air handling unit may be provided for controlling the air pressure within the isolation room 10 and for ventilating the isolation room. The air handling unit may be provided with filtration means, such as a HEPA filter, to remove airborne contaminants from incoming and/or outgoing air.

The isolation room 10 and anteroom 12 are formed on three sides from a plurality of substantially rectangular glazing panels 20, each panel 20 comprising an aluminium frame 22 supporting one or more pairs of spaced apart glass panes 24,26. A fourth side of the isolation room 10 is defined by an adjoining wall 18 of a plant room for the isolation room 10. The glazing panels 24,26 are mounted between vertical columns 28 extending from the floor to the ceiling. An endless resilient seal 30 is provided between a peripheral face of each glazing pane 24,26 and a cooperating seat of the frame 22 to which it is mounted to form an airtight seal between each glazing pane 24,26 and its respective frame 22. Such seal 30 may be formed from EPDM cross linked rubber.

An elongate spacer member 32 is located between cooperating faces of each column 28 and a respective adjacent face of the frame 22 of each glazing panel 22 to form an airtight seal between each pillar 28 and the respective adjoining glazing panel 22. Each spacer member 32 is adapted to place a compressive loading between the respective adjoining glazing panel 20 and column 28, as will be described below in more detail.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each spacer member 32 comprises two identical aluminium extrusions 34a, 34b having opposite wedge shaped abutting faces 36 whereby each spacer member 32 places a compressive loading on the adjoining glazing panel 22 as the two parts of the spacer member 32 are moved laterally with respect to one another as the glazing panel 20 is moved into place alongside the adjacent support column 28, thus forming an airtight seal between the support columns 28 and the glazing panels 20 without requiring the later application of sealing or bonding materials.

Each part 34a, 34b of each spacer member 32 comprises an elongate aluminium extrusion having a substantially L shaped cross section having a first side 40 for abutting against a face of an adjoining column/glazing panel, a second side 42 extending perpendicular to first side 40 forming an outer face of the spacer member 32, a further face 44 extending perpendicular to the second side 42 and parallel to said first side 40, an inwardly extending face 46 extending parallel to said second side 42, an angled side 48 defining said wedge shaped abutting surface 36 and an end face 50 extending between said angled side 48 and said first side 40 parallel to said second side 42. A resilient seal 52 is mounted in a recess formed in said inwardly extending face 46, said seal 52 engaging the end face 50 of the other part of the spacer member 32 when the wedge shaped abutting faces 36 of the two parts 34a, 34b are brought into contact and the two parts 34a, 34b are laterally moved with respect to one another.

In use, a first part 34a of the respective spacer member 32 is secured to a side face of a respective support column 28 and a second part 34b of the respective spacer member 32 is secured to an adjoining side face of the frame 22 of a glazing panel 20. As the glazing panel 20 is moved into place adjacent the support column 28, the wedge shaped abutting faces 36 of the first and second parts 34a, 34b of the spacer member 32 slide against each other to urge the first and second parts 34a, 34b of the spacer member 32 away from one another to apply a compressive loading between the support column 28 and the glazing panel 20 to form an airtight seal therebetween. Resilient sealing strips 54 are located between the first side 40 of each part 34a, 34b of the spacer member 32 and the cooperating faces of the support column 28 and frame 22 of the glazing panel 20 to ensure an airtight seal therebetween. In order to secure the two parts 34a, 34b of each spacer member 32 together a suitable fastener, such as a self tapping screw, may be inserted through the second side 42 of at least one of the first and second parts 34a, 34b of the spacer member 32 to extend through the inwardly extending face 46 thereof and into the end face 50 of the other of the first and second parts 34a, 34b of the spacer member 32.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each glazing panel 20 is sealed against the glazing frame 22 via a one piece endless EPDM cross linked rubber seal 30 extending around a seat of the glazing frame 22 to abut against a peripheral region of the inner face of the glazing pane 24,26. In order to provide a smooth surface that can be easily cleaned, substantially planar cover plates 58 extend across each support column 28 and the adjacent spacer members 32.

Elongate planar cover panels 60 presenting a smoother outer surface are attached to the glazing frame 22 to extend over the gap between adjacent glazing panes 24,26 and between the glazing panes 24,26 and adjacent cover plates 58. The cover panels 60 may be screwed onto the glazing frames 22, preferably via counter sunk screw receiving apertures (not shown). Plugs (not shown) may be inserted into the countersunk screw receiving apertures in the cover panels 60 to cover the securing screws and to provide a smooth finish to the assembled glazing structure. The countersunk screw receiving apertures may be stepped such that an outer portion of the counter sunk aperture is adapted to receive a plug to that the plug does not contact the head of a screw inserted into the screw receiving aperture to provide a clearance to compensate for any misalignment of the screw. Sealing strips 62 may be provided on a rear face of each cover panel 60 to form a seal against the respective glazing pane 24,26 and to cushion contact between the cover panel 60 and the glazing pane 24,26.

As shown in Figure 5, a motorised blind 70 is located in the gap between each pair of glazing panes 24,26, said blind 70 being able to be opened and closed and raised and lowered remotely from a control device, which may be outside of the isolation room 10. The blind 70 is mounted on a lower face of an upper part of the glazing frame 22. In order to provide access to the blind 70 for maintenance, an access panel 72 is provided on an outer side of the isolation room 10, such access panel 72 being removable to provide access to the blind 70 and blind motor 74. Therefore each blind 70 can be maintained and repaired without requiring access to the isolation room 10 and can be repaired and replaced without compromising the integrity of the isolation room 10. The access panel 72 overlaps adjacent glazing panes 24,26 and provides a smooth surface finish when attached to the glazing panel 20. Seal means 76 may be provided on a rear face of the access panel 72 to form a seal against the respective glazing pane 24,26 and to cushion contact between the access panel 72 and the glazing pane. The access panel is releasably secured to the access panel 72 by means of screws inserted into respective portions of the glazing frame 22. The heads of the screw may be covered by suitable plugs in a similar manner to the cover panels 60.

One or two of such isolation rooms 10 may be provided in an acute care ward and the glazing panels 20 of the present invention may be used to construct substantially all exterior and partition walls of the acute care ward. Such use of transparent glazing panels 20 provides greater visibility for staff and visitors to the ward and provides improved lighting throughout the ward, providing a more pleasant environment for patients and staff. The smooth finish of the glazing panels, by virtue of the large glazing panes and flush fitting cover panels facilitates cleaning and assist infection control. An access corridor may be provided around two or three sides of the ward, glazing panels 20 defining an outer wall of the ward adjoining the corridor whereby visitors can see into the ward without coming into physical contact with patients located therein.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment(s) described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.