Breaches of single-sex hospital ward guidelines greater than treble since pandemic
T
he variety of sufferers pressured to sleep alongside the other intercourse on NHS wards has soared, new figures present.
In the six months to March – the newest interval for which there’s official information – the rule stopping sufferers of various sexes from being handled on the identical wards has been damaged greater than 25,000 occasions.
Hospitals broke the mixed-sex rule 1000’s of occasions in March alone, with a trebling of instances since earlier than the pandemic, in accordance with NHS figures analysed by the PA news company’s RADAR service.
Despite the Government banning mixed-sex wards in 2010, NHS England information reveals the rule was damaged nearly 4,500 occasions (4,475) in March – the second-highest single month since 2011/12 and greater than triple the 1,400 cases recorded in March 2019.
NHS organisations often submit information on the variety of occurrences of “unjustified mixing” in relation to their sleeping lodging.
Mixed-sex wards are an affront to sufferers’ dignity
Recording of the breaches was suspended from March 2020 to September 2021 as a result of pandemic.
When NHS trusts had been requested to return to logging breaches in October 2021, there have been 2,300 occurrences, whereas each month since this previous December has topped 4,000, together with a report 4,938 in January.
Rachel Power, chief govt of the Patients Association, stated: “Mixed-sex wards are an affront to patients’ dignity.
“No patient wants to receive intimate, personal care on a mixed-sex ward, and it’s the sort of stress that doesn’t promote recovery.”
When mixed-sex wards had been banned, NHS trusts confronted a £250 superb for each breach, barring sure exceptions.
We have been clear sufferers mustn’t should share sleeping lodging with others of the other intercourse
But the rule was suspended through the coronavirus pandemic as hospitals confronted elevated mattress occupancy pressures.
Data on completed episodes reveals that round 2.6 rule breaches occurred per 1,000 therapies in March – nearly treble the 0.9 per 1,000 in March 2019.
Every month since October has had a breach charge north of two. February 2020 is the one month to high that determine since March 2011.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson stated: “We have been clear patients should not have to share sleeping accommodation with others of the opposite sex and should have access to segregated bathroom and toilet facilities, and we expect NHS trusts to comply with these measures.”
An NHS spokesperson stated: “Offering single-sex accommodation is a requirement under the NHS Standard Contract.
“Trusts across the country are taking action to reduce or eliminate unjustified breaches, which remain rare.”