Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, the county’s mental health and learning disability service provider has been successful in securing funding from the Department of Health for work to enhance and develop the provision of same-sex accommodation.
Rachel Munton, Executive Director of Nursing and Allied Health Professionals said: “We are delighted to be fully compliant already with the requirements of same-sex accommodation and this funding will help us to work further to enhance same-sex accommodation across the Trust.
“Privacy and dignity has always been a priority in mental health and we will continue to work to improve it, ensuring the use of facilities reflect the ward population served, for example, clear signage and placing opaque film on doors and windows to enhance privacy.”
The Trust has commissioned signage for sleeping, bathing and toilet areas on all in patient wards across the Trust explaining the nature of the accommodation. Signs, posters and publicity will aim to inform patients and the public about same-sex accommodation.
Rachel said: “We are committed to ensuring our patients, service users and their carers understand what same-sex accommodation means and how they will experience it.”
Same-sex accommodation can be provided in:
- Same-sex wards ie the whole ward is occupied by men or women but not both
- Single rooms with adjacent same-sex toilets and washing facilities preferably en-suite
- Same-sex accommodation within mixed wards ie bays or rooms which accommodate either men or women, not both, with designated same-sex toilet and washing facilities preferably within or adjacent to the bay or room
- Patients should not need to pass through opposite sex accommodation or toilet and washing facilities to access their own.
Janet Sheard, Executive Nurse, NHS Nottingham City said: “We are fully supporting the NHS in the aim of same-sex accommodation, and I am delighted that both Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust and Nottingham University Hospitals Trust received funding enabling us to take plans forward. We know that privacy and dignity is important to our patients and the public so we are working closely with our partners and fully support the excellent work Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust is doing to further enhance its provision.”
Mental Health Trusts have for a long time acknowledged the specific needs of women patients, and historically in Forensic units same-sex wards are the norm. The importance placed on same-sex accommodation is not new, but there is a welcome re-emphasis on its priority.
For further information about the Same-sex accommodation programme, please visit NHS East Midlands and the Department of Health's dedicated web pages.
