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Number of patients on mixed-sex NHS wards on the rise

More than 9,000 patients were treated on mixed-sex NHS wards in the 12 months to the end of July, figures show.
Mixed-sex wards

More than 9,000 patients were treated on mixed-sex NHS wards in the 12 months to the end of July, figures show.


Around 9,000 patients stayed in mixed-sex wards between August 2016 and July 2017
Picture: Alamy

NHS England data, analysed by the Liberal Democrats, showed that the number of patients staying in mixed-sex wards rose to 908 last month.

Overall, 9,004 patients stayed on mixed-sex wards between August 2016 and July 2017, close to a 55% increase on the previous year.

‘Affront to dignity’

The Conservatives had pledged in their 2010 and 2015 general election manifestos to end mixed-sex hospital wards, but it was dropped from the policy programme prime minister Theresa May took into this year's election.

Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Norman Lamb said: ‘Under Theresa May's watch, we’ve seen a scandalous rise in the number of patients being forced to stay in mixed-sex wards.

‘Men and women should not have to share hospital wards. It’s an affront to basic human dignity.

‘Intolerable pressure’

‘It's time to end the continued underfunding of the NHS and care that is putting intolerable pressure on services and leading to these sorts of failures.

‘The government must recommit to closing mixed-sex wards.’

Labour shadow health minister Justin Madders said: ‘This unprecedented failure on mixed sex wards has left thousands more patients humiliated and lacking the basic dignity and respect they expect when being treated in hospital.'


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