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 Mixed sex wards

 

Of the wards we visited, the vast majority admitted both men and women and only six were single sex wards.

We thought that we might hear some strong views against mixed sex wards from people but this was not in fact the case.

When problems were reported these tended to be about some people displaying sexually inappropriate behaviour or misidentifying another person as their spouse.

Staff in wards where there was good single room provision described this as easily managed in conjunction with appropriate levels of observation.

Staff in wards with dormitory type accommodation thought that having enough staff to ensure appropriate levels of observation was essential to ensure privacy, dignity and safety.

All wards we visited had taken steps to ensure privacy and dignity by providing separate sleeping, toilet and bathing facilities for men and women. We received several comments from staff about the benefits of mixed sex wards including increased social interaction and a sense that this was a reflection of how we live anyway.