Worthing Hospital working towards single-sex wards
WORK has started to eliminate mixed sex facilities at Worthing and Southlands Hospitals.
It is part of a national project aimed at protecting patients' privacy and dignity by preventing men and women sharing hospital bays, bathrooms and toilets.
Pam Lelliott, hospital spokeswoman, said most of the work will be focused on bathroom facilities, as currently all wards at Worthing Hospital have single sex bays within them.
She added: "The only areas in which male and female patients may receive treatment in the same location is in highly specialised clinical areas such as emergency assessment and critical care units, including intensive care."
The first phase of the scheme will see facilities that had been used as store rooms and offices turned back into bathrooms. It is costing 389,000, with most of that coming from the Department of Health's central fund.
A second phase is expected to cost around 500,000 and will consist of providing new, single sex toilet facilities.
A total of 23 hospital trusts have been awarded a share of the 7.8million made available to fund 60 projects in Sussex, Kent and Surrey.
Sue Webb, NHS South East Coast's director of clinical and workforce development, said: "People often feel at their most vulnerable when they are in hospital, and being cared for in mixed sex accommodation can be distressing.
"We are committed to reducing mixed sex accommodation to an absolute minimum and providing single sex bays wherever possible."
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Tuesday 14 February 2012
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