This Never Happens: Sexual Abuse in mixed-sex MH wards - NHS probe launched

[CharlieParley]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/11/nhs-launches-sexual-abuse-probe-amid-fears-dangers-mixed-sex/

Inspectors have warned hospital trusts to do more to protect patients, after a trawl found more than 900 sexual incidents, including assault and harassment, recorded on mental health wards in just three months.

[...]

And they warned that some of the incidents, reported to the National Reporting and Learning System, also appeared to have taken place on same sex wards.

Sexual abuse and assault happen everywhere males and females are put together. It just does. Hospitals. Schools. Army bases. Life...

This has been going on for years. It must be beyond 25 years ago that I first read about it, and how the government was going to put an end to mixed sex wards.

It seems cruel to people in mental health wards, especially if they are sectioned and put there. How, if someone is supposed to be not capable of looking after their own health to the extent they need their rights taking off them, are they supposed to be responsible for their own and others sexual behaviour.

Also, with dementia wards.

It's not just sexual assault and harassment though, is it? It's about feeling safe and secure in your environment which you'd think would be a pretty serious priority on a mental health ward.

I was placed on a mixed ward a few years ago and whilst nothing untoward happened, I got almost no sleep because I was constantly starting awake when people were getting up to go to the toilet. I felt unsafe, I was incredibly ill, unable to leave the bed and I felt so vulnerable.

How much worse must it be for patients who are frail with less confidence of raising an alarm if anything happened? Or patients who are struggling with their mental health or dementia and potentially not able to report what's happening? It's an appalling disregard for patient well being to put them in such a position.

Mixed-sex mental health warning 1998
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/223343.stm
archive.is/p765U

Mixed-sex mental health warning 2008
''Detaining women and youngsters on mixed-sex adult wards is seen as likely to heighten their risk of sexual abuse.''
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7216203.stm
archive.is/ytpbs

Mixed-sex mental health warning 2018
archived URL;
archive.is/wwyXH

There is dignity as well. On my stay on a mixed sex ward (single sex bays of 6, shared limited toilets) I kicked off the waterproof duvet as I was overheated, recovering from my op and full of tamazipam, on a hot July afternoon. Displayed my backless gown and string 'knickers' to everyone passing until someone came to take my temp and covered me with an empty duvet cover.

That's shocking, Upstart

Nothing changes, does it?

I had no idea it's been going on this long. Is it like a ten year thing then?

I first heard about mixed mental health wards in a Sunday supplement - probably the Observer as my parents got it. It was before DS was born, and he is now 26. They became more of a general thing, and my MIL had her piles dealt with in a bed with a curtain between her and a man.
I went onto a mixed ward where there were women only bays but the limited number of toilets were shared (grim, whole other story ). I peeped into the day room and quickly decided that was not a place to be in my night clothes and went back to my bed.

Every government since then had vowed to end mixed sex wards.

They have bent the definition of mixed sex, but still they fail to meet their own targets.