London hospitals worst for putting people in mixed wards for no reason

 
King's College Hospital: Worst offender in last two months
Rob Parsons15 November 2012

London hospitals are responsible for more than half of all cases where patients are placed in mixed-sex wards without good reason, Department of Health figures reveal today.

Rules against mixed-sex accommodation were breached 242 times last month across the country, up from 182 in September and 160 in August.

Hospitals in the capital were responsible for 125 cases last month. The worst offender for the last two months was King’s College Hospital Trust, which saw 46 breaches in October and 33 in September.

This month the Government announced that hospitals which breach the rules could face legal action as part of changes to the NHS constitution. The number of breaches has fallen significantly in the last two years after the Government introduced fines. Most hospital trusts reported no cases of male and female patients being treated in the same wards without a good medical reason.

In 2009 NHS bosses in London announced a £15 million programme to help eliminate mixed-sex accommodation in hospitals across the capital by the end of March 2010.

An NHS London spokesman said: “In October 2011 London had 482 mixed sex accommodation breaches, this has reduced to 125 in October 2012. This progress is welcome and we are continuing to work with trusts to further reduce this figure.

“Whilst breaches are unacceptable, this figure should also be understood against the number of patients being admitted to hospital.”

A spokeswoman for King’s College Hospital said: “We are committed to providing high quality care for our patients, whilst also respecting their right to privacy and dignity when in hospital.

“The breaches to same-sex accommodation at King’s are entirely due to delays in patients leaving our Intensive Care Unit. The majority of patients coming to King’s are treated in same-sex accommodation.”

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