DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 28 January 2009
From next year
hospitals that treat patients in mixed sex accommodation will not
be paid for their care, Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced
today. These tough new penalties are part of a package of measures
being introduced in a new drive to virtually eliminate mixed sex
accommodation and ensure it doesn't reappear.
The Department of Health's guidance to trusts is that men
and women should not have to share sleeping accommodation or
toilet facilities. From 2010/11 hospitals who fail to deliver
this will face serious financial consequences - unless there is an
overriding clinical justification.
The Health Secretary also announced that a £100million Privacy
and Dignity Fund will be made available to support the NHS to make
the necessary changes to virtually eliminate mixed sex accommodation.
The package of measures includes:
* Financial penalties for those hospitals where patients are
treated in mixed sex accommodation - unless it can be clinically justified.
* A £100 million ring-fenced Privacy and Dignity Fund to help
Trusts make swift adjustments to hospital accommodation.
* Improvement teams will be set up to go into hospitals that need
support over the next six months.
* A greater focus on measuring and improving patient experience
of mixed sex accommodation.
Speaking at the NHS Chairs conference in London, Alan Johnson said:
"People often feel at their most vulnerable when they are in
hospital and being cared for in mixed sex accommodation can be
deeply distressing. These measures will help to ensure that
patients can be treated with the dignity and privacy they rightly expect.
"The message is clear - the NHS has taken great strides in
reducing mixed sex accommodation over the last twelve years but
now it must eliminate it altogether other than where clinically
necessary. Hospitals who fail in their duty to protect
patients' privacy will be financially penalised as we will
not foot the bill for care that has taken place in mixed sex accommodation.
"I recognise that there are real, practical difficulties
that some trusts need help to overcome and the new £100million
fund will help provide the support they need to achieve this."
Chief Nursing Officer Christine Beasley said:
"Hospital staff must realise that being cared for in mixed
sex accommodation can be very upsetting for patients particularly
those that feel very vulnerable such as the elderly. Doctors and
nurses have a clear duty to make sure that hospital patients are
cared for in an environment which meets their clinical needs, and
ensures that their privacy and dignity is maintained.
"We hope that by all but eliminating mixed sex accommodation
we can dramatically improve patient experience".
The Privacy and Dignity Fund will be allocated to SHAs following
submission of plans that set out how they intend to significantly
reduce mixed sex accommodation. Plans will be submitted to the
Department of Health by the end of February and the money will be
allocated in April with the expectation that work has begun on the
wards by the end of June.
Notes to Editors
1. For enquiries please contact 020 7210 4850.