(DH) Work begins to eliminate mixed sex accommodation in NHS

Building work to continue the progress made and finally eliminate mixed-sex accommodation in hospitals across England has started with over 700 projects planned across 200 organisations, Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced today.

The work is part of the government's pledge to ensure that men and women will not have to share sleeping areas, bathrooms or toilets when admitted to hospital and that their privacy and dignity is upheld whenever possible.

Some improvement works started in April after Alan Johnson allocated a £100 million Privacy and Dignity Fund to all Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) in England. This followed approval of their plans on how best to eliminate mixed sex accommodation in hospitals in their areas.

Approximately £40 million of the funding has been allocated for new and refurbished same-sex sanitary facilities such as bathrooms, with the remainder spent on other work including:
* Erecting separating walls
* Provision of same-sex lounges,
* Improved partitions
* Approved pan-trust bed management systems.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said:

"We have made great progress, however our message is clear- over the coming months we only expect to see mixed sex accommodation where it is clinically justified and from next year those trusts who fail in this duty will be financially penalised.

"It is simply unacceptable for top quality treatment by our finest surgeons, doctors and nurses to be undermined by a sub-standard mixed sex environment that patients find unsettling, uncomfortable and undignified.

"We are committed to providing patients with high quality care that is safe, effective and which puts a patient's privacy and dignity at its core. Everyone working within the NHS has a clear duty to ensure that this is not just implemented, but maintained."

Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:

"Nurses strive to provide high quality, dignified care at all times, but mixed sex wards have often been a major obstacle. Eliminating mixed sex accommodation would be a hugely significant step towards dignified patient care for all."

To ensure that the improvements are delivered to a high standard and on time; a national improvement team has been set up to support hospitals and monitor all improvement works.