Same-Sex Accommodation: Your Privacy, Our Responsibility

Privacy, dignity and same-sex accommodation

 

Declaration of Single Sex Accommodation Compliance. (73k)

 

The NHS is committed to making sure that all patients receive high-quality care that is safe, effective and focused on their needs. The NHS Constitution states that all patients have the right to privacy and to be treated with dignity and respect. We believe that providing same-sex accommodation is an effective way of helping to achieve this goal and of giving all patients the best possible experience while they are in hospital.

Why is same-sex accommodation so important?

It is clear from what patients tell us that being in mixed-sex accommodation can compromise their privacy and dignity at a time when they may already be feeling vulnerable. The most common concerns include physical exposure, being in an embarrassing or threatening situation, noise, and the possibility of other patients overhearing conversations about their condition.

Women, and elderly women in particular, are most likely to worry about being in mixed-sex accommodation, although male patients also say that they feel reluctant to talk openly and find it embarrassing to be in a mixed-sex setting. Some patients are also strongly opposed to mixed-sex accommodation for cultural or religious reasons.

What do we mean by mixed-sex and same-sex accommodation?

Mixed-sex accommodation is where men and women have to share sleeping areas or toilet and washing facilities. Same-sex accommodation is where specific sleeping areas and toilet and washing facilities are designated as either men-only or women-only.

Same-sex accommodation can be provided in:

• same-sex wards, where the whole ward is occupied by men or women only
• single rooms, or
• mixed wards, where men and women are in separate bays or rooms.

Toilet and washing facilities should be easily accessible and, ideally, either inside or next to the ward, bay or room. Patients should not need to go through sleeping areas or toilet and washing facilities used by the opposite sex to access their own.

Is mixed-sex accommodation ever acceptable?

Most people accept that in some situations there is no alternative to men and women sharing accommodation. This includes situations where patients need urgent, highly specialised or high-tech care. When making this decision, staff must make sure that it is in the interests of all patients affected, and work to move patients into same-sex accommodation as quickly as possible.

The same-sex accommodation programme

Most hospitals are already making good progress towards providing same-sex accommodation: 99 per cent say they are providing same-sex sleeping areas, and 97 per cent same-sex toilet and washing facilities. But there is still work to be done to ensure that all patients have the best possible experience during their time in hospital.

In January 2009, the Department of Health announced a package of measures designed to ‘all but eliminate mixed-sex accommodation’ by 2010. These include:

• dedicated funding to support improvements and adjustments to hospital accommodation
• providing information and guidance to hospital staff, patients and the public
• sending an improvement team to hospitals that need extra support, and
• introducing rigorous measures so that the Department can see how hospitals are progressing against the goal.

What will it mean for Queens Hospital?

For Queen’s Hospital this means the £156,000 was received to make improvements over a number of wards within the hospital.

Four wards in particular were targeted for refurbishment to improve access to dedicated shower and toilet facilities. In particular refurbishments are being actioned by a way of new walk-in wet room on wards 3, 12, 19 & 20.

Queens hospital has been proactive in recent years on upgrading patients toilet and shower facilities in most ward areas, and this recent investment is a planned continuation of improving the patient environment to ensure privacy & dignity is a the fore.

Since completing these works many positive comments regarding these improvements have been received from both patients and staff alike. A recent female patient on a refurbished area commented that the new walk-in wet rooms are large and spacious and without mixing of sexes was particularly pleasing to ladies on the ward.

Sister Joan Burton on ward 12 commented patients have found the walk-in wet room excellent and the fact that there were more facilities on the ward meant patients waited less time in the morning.

Chief Executive, Paula Clark said “We are delighted at Queen’s to have received this funding by the Department of Health which has helped greatly to improve privacy & dignity for male and female patients across a number of wards in the hospital and again emphasises the importance that we place on constantly improving the patient’s environment.

Same-Sex Accommodation: Your Privacy, Our Responsibility

This drawing shows details of the refurbishments being undertaken on wards 3, 12, 19 and 20 to improve access to dedicated shower and toilet facilities:

• Drawing (351k)

Posters:

To open a larger version of each poster please use the link from the image or the text.

	We're making improvements, so you can concentrate on getting better (1.27Mb)
	Relax. All you need to think about is getting better (2.22Mb)