Thread by @Womans_Place_UK

This is the WPUK written submission to the review of NHS mixed sex accomodation.

Representatives of WPUK also attended a meeting with other stakeholders which we were invited to at very short notice. womansplaceuk.org/2022/03/17/wpu… /1 #NHS #SexMatters

As well as outlining concerns about any move away from single-sex provision, we raised concerns about the process of consultation and engagement with women stakeholders and organisations. /2

Providing single sex accommodation is provided for by the Equality Act 2010 and is cited as an example of a legitimate use of the exceptions in the Act. equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/… /3

Research commissioned to inform the NHS policy of eliminating mixed sex accomodation found that single-sex accommodation was in the top three answers to the question “What matters most to patients, in terms of delivering privacy and dignity?” webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20070603… /4

Given the extraordinarily high prevalence of sexual violence against women and girls in the UK, trauma-informed care should be employed across NHS services. Placing already traumatised women in mixed sex wards may retraumatise victims and expose them to further abuse. /5

The threat to safety is not hypothetical. In 2009, Channel 4 discovered that almost two thirds of sexual assaults by patients occurred in mixed sex wards. theguardian.com/commentisfree/… /6

The Health Service Journal reported last year that at least 1,019 sexual assaults were reported by female (and male) patients on mixed sex mental health wards between April 2017 and October 2019. independent.co.uk/news/health/nh… /7

Research carried out by the Care Quality Commission raised concerns about the risk of sexual harrassnent and assault faced by mental health inpatients. cqc.org.uk/sites/default/… /8

A report by HealthTalk, included testimonies from mental health service users from ethnic minorities who had been subject to sexual harassment while on a mixed sex ward. healthtalk.org/mental-health-… /9

Our conclusions and recommendations:
1. Single sex accommodation is crucial to ensuring patient privacy, dignity and safety
2. Research has consistently shown that women dislike mixed sex wards. /10

3. Research also shows that many men also dislike mixed sex wards because they feel uncomfortable about intruding on women’s privacy. /11

4. Further research – of comparable quality and scope to the research commissioned to inform the original policy – should be commissioned to understand if patients’ views have changed since the policy was introduced. /12

5. Research should be commissioned to gauge impact of Annex B on patients/staff. It should not depend on monitoring number of complaints made by patients as many women who may have been traumatised by their experiences in a healthcare setting will not voice their concerns. /13

6. The application of the policy requires well trained staff as well as robust systems. /14

7. Patients must be informed about which spaces are single sex (i.e. knowing that in ED, assessment units or ICU the space may be mixed sex, but that all other spaces will be single sex). This should be on all patient information leaflets related to hospital admissions. /15

8. Hospitals should publish breaches & action plans to reduce breaches, which will involve analysis of their capacity for patients of each sex. Phenotypical sex should be measure of a breach. NHS hospitals must consistently record sex as well as gender identity where relevant /16

9. Staff need trainingguidance to support them to understand some of the sensitiivties in making decisions about single sex accommodation. /17

10. Staff need resources and options. If transgender patients cannot be placed in a bay/ward of own sex (for instance, for reasons of their own psychological needs or safety) then there must be greater provision of single en suite rooms to accommodate this. /18

Please read our full submission to the NHS Review of mixed sex accommodation here. womansplaceuk.org/2022/03/17/wpu… /19