Aim To explore patients’ and nurses’ views on their experience of nursing care in mixed-sex bays.

Method Using a descriptive exploratory method, tape-recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of patients and nurses drawn from wards where mixed-sex bays were located. The resulting transcripts were analysed to identify shared themes.

Findings The key themes identified were: communication from nursing staff, first reactions, relationships in the bay, reactions of others, awareness of organisational issues and nursing in a mixed-sex ward.

Conclusion While some individuals felt that the attitudes and behaviours displayed by their fellow patients were of greater significance than their gender, there was a general view that mixed-sex bays were less than ideal. Nurses also struggled to maintain patient dignity in mixed-sex bays.