Recent figures published this week show that 11,362 patients were looked after in mixed wards in December. The government have committed to eradicating mixed care wards where possible and from April 1st hospitals will be fined £250 a day for each patient that says in mixed sex accommodation.
If the new rule were already in existence the total revenue generated from December would have come to £2,845,500. According to health minister Andrew Langley, any funds raised through fines will be invested into patient care.
This is the first time that data on mixed wards has been published. The figures show that across England there were 8.1 breaches per 1,000 hospital stays. The lowest breach rate is in Yorkshire and Humber (1.2%) and the highest in the North West (13%).
Lansley said the numbers highlighted: ‘an unacceptable level of breaches in which patient dignity has been compromised.
‘Publishing these figures in itself revolutionises accountability to patients but that’s just the start. By April, we expect every hospital to be capable of meeting the single sex accommodation standard.’
He said the Government was increasing the number of single rooms in the NHS to combat the problem.
The previous labour government stated that they were committed to single sex wards and had set targets that had not been fully met during their term in office.
Katherine Murphy, the chief executive of the Patients Association, said:
‘Mixed-sex wards compromise a patient’s dignity, and we therefore welcome the government’s commitment to ending mixed-sex wards but are concerned that fines are not the best way to do this.
‘Fines will not be a good enough incentive, and ultimately it will be the patients who pay the price as they cut into already squeezed budgets.
‘It is too easy to carry on paying the fine, avoid the blame and, above all, avoid taking the action needed.’