To ask how you all feel about mixed sex loos and wards?

[Toorahtoorahaye]

Just in the past day or so there have been discussions on social media about the new NHS guidelines that allows patients to choose which sexed ward they feel most comfortable in reality making wards mixed sex. And today the Old Vic is also following the recent trend to make its loos mixed sex - mixed sex with urinals, mixed sex with with stalls and gender neutral loos. Just wondering how folk feel about the end of single sex wards and loos for mixed sex provision.

It`s sexual abuse in the making.
Just a matter of time.
I would never use them.

Not happy about either of these.

It`s sexual abuse in the making.Just a matter of time.

Well it’s not a matter of time as mixed sex wards and loos are a thing now. And I’m sure abuse happens.

@CAG12

No they aren't. I was in for 2 weeks last month and was in a 15 bed ward. No separate bays, all beds in one big room and the ward had it's own entry way.

And good point made previously where majority of males on ward at any time would have been vetted properly. I did find this uncomfortable at times but not nearly as much as having a male neighbour in the bed next to me.
Not much to be done about male visitors unfortunately but the likelihood of any danger was low due to amount of people around. A ward in the middle of the night is an entirely different ball game. Plus the nurses actually have jobs to do that aren't staring at the beds for the entire duration of their shift to make sure everyone is where they should be. Also, there are plenty of vulnerable people who end up as in patients. This is putting them at risk.

And if you can't see the problem with that, then go read some stats about male violence toward females.

My nan had to lie there whilst some old man wanked whilst staring at her. Yeah, mixed sex, such a great, safe idea

Your poor nan. No woman ahould ever be subjected to that in a place where you are vulnerable and ill. The NHS should be held responsible for incidents, Male on Female incidents, all the while they remove boundaries meant to protect women.

Councils should be held responsible for assaults in public loos if they can't simply provide separate single sex spaces, for jeopardising women and girls safety.

There is so much assault on trains as to raise the issue of women only coaches tue same as they have in India where its acknowledged that women need their own carriages due to the criminal behaviour of some men.

I want single sex wards and single sex loos. Why do we need to justify this? These are personal spaces that we are legally entitled to and are being railroaded to validate a small minority of people and nothing else.

One woman on twitter is saying that there are an average of 100 pregnancies a year in psychiatric wards, and rapes are often handled internally and not reported to police.

Women in psychiatric wards are often medicated, and many of the medications have a sedative effect which slow your reactions.
I can't tell you how frightening it is to be harassed while sedated, you can't move fast, and you have cotton mouth. When it happened to me it was in front of staff and they did nothing. They just sat there and watched.

Mixed sex loos without urinals I can deal with.

Mixed sex wards....absolutely not.

I loathe mixed sex provision. If you need a gender neutral toilet and there's no room for a stand-alone, convert the men's and leave the women's as it is.

I am totally opposed to shared wards. My DD has been very poorly this year and has been in and out of hospital multiple times. Her blood isn't clotting and when she's menstruating it's like a blood bath plus she's had surgery. So she has to call the nurse to ask for help, telling them what's going on. Then she's being intimately cleaned up and have having discussions about what's happening, and having her catheter changed, all while there's a strange bloke sat less than 3ft away on the other side of a curtain.

It's degrading and it shouldn't be happening to any woman, let alone a young, vulnerable autistic one.

I'm not sure I'd want to be rustling about with a pad while there may be men queueing just outside the cubicle. Small thing to others but women don't just use toilets for wee and poo.
I mean boys would empty the tampon dispenser for a laugh while a woman that actually needs one won't be able to get one. Things like that could be an issue.
Also it might be worth considering survivors of sexual assault. Would they be OK with it?

As a girl I felt awkward and embarrassed about managing sanpro in toilets, that were single sex female! I would have rather bled on stuff than go into a space where there were men and boys.

Same with breastfeeding when I've not been able to escape without giving a quick topup feed. I would not be comfortable for men and boys to be there (teen boys and older i mean).

I have had to use tampon dispensers in public loos, again not something I would do in front of men and boys.

I am comfortable with other women seeing me buy sanpro and take it into the loo, noones interested! There's no sexual interest.

With overtly practised fetishes on the rise and being pushed on women, and used tampons and pads being 'taken for personal use' and cameras placed behind toilets now being a thing, and upskirting, NO, men and boys stay out of women and girls private spaces.

I have seen pics on the internet of women secretly filmed in toilets, of men doing selfies boasting that they're in a womens loo, these men need to be kept out, and a single room for mixed sex use creates risk for women.

As men can more easily lock in one woman or child, by waiting inside or loitering outside and pushing them in.

Everything about it is wrong and unprotective of women.

I want single sex wards and single sex loos. Why do we need to justify this? These are personal spaces that we are legally entitled to

I don’t we are sadly. If we are then most hospitals seem to be in breach.

greenlynx

My DD has additional needs so she would particularly vulnerable in both situations

Mine too and due to the increased onslaught on women’s rights to female only spaces, I would be staying on the ward with my child. No one will be able to shift me. No ifs, no buts! I would be demanding to see their impact statement where they can prove that their us no adverse impact on female safety and dignity. I would also point out the laws regarding women’s rights to be in female only wards.

I feel very much not okay with it

How bizarre that for them its all about respect and dignity, for women is actaully about safety aswell,

How have they elevated that a priority over womens safety.

Who does that???

I hate the very idea of both and they make me feel most uncomfortable.

I really, REALLY do not want mixed sex wards. As several pp's have said, I don't want to be having intrusive, personal and embarrassing conversations and procedures done with some strange bloke a few feet away on the other side of a curtain.

I don't like the idea of mixed sex loos either, but I guess I could cope with those if I had to.

But reading the information from the Old Vic it appears that even if single sex wards were available, it wouldn't make a lot of difference to who was admitted - "...they should...ask discreetly where the person would be most comfortably accommodated. They should then comply with the patient's preference immediately, or as soon as practicable. If patients are transferred to ward, this should also be in accordance with their continuous gender presentation (unless the patient requests otherwise)."

I really don't like that. I want single sex wards. Not single gender. That's pointless.

On a couple of occasions, I have accidentally walked into the men’s loos. I realized I was in the wrong place because they were revoltingly messy compared to the women’s.

It’s no thanks from me.

Mixed sex loos - fine. I don’t care.

Mixed sex wards - absolutely not. And I’m intensely grateful that my need for a maternity ward was in the days when partners were allowed in at visiting times and then kicked out. Who wants strange men hanging about when they’ve just had a baby?

We have mixed sex loos where I work. I think they're great. Self contained units with sinks mirrors and disposal units for sanitary products. They actually feel more private than the single sex loos we had before. Mixed wards though? No, I wouldn't be at all happy with that.

I have to use toilets a lot, and have been in some in secluded locations where the toilets are empty. I would feel very vulnerable to go into toilets and have lone men in there while I use the toilet and would probably turn round and walk straight out.

The NSPCC pants campaign is about teaching children about their personal boundaries and help to evolve their natural instinct about what is acceptable behaviour, and who to trust. Sending girls on their own into a toilet full of men goes totally against these natural instincts and will may cause girls to start to ignore or disregard these feelings.

I would not support this in hospital

I’d rather single sex loo as men are pretty disgusting in the toilet tbh.

I would prefer a loo that’s single sex with a separate mixed sex loo that is a stand-alone facility then I most likely wouldn’t use it if another was available.

Obv small coffee shops etc have those anyway.

Wards: Personally doesn't bother me on the basis that if you identify as a woman and live as a women I'm fine with you being treated as one.

Not every one is comfortable with this some with some good reasons and experiences to back that up.

Choice should go both ways. If you don't want to be on a ward with trans women that needs to be voiced.

Loos - they are all cubicle in any mixed gender loo I've ever used and could not get bothered about it. Was odd the first few times coming out of the loo to a guy washing his hands though.

I would not be willing to stay on a mixed sex ward. As soon as I was conscious I would be leaving even if I had to drag myself out of there. I think it's disgusting especially since they understand that women can be traumatised by male presences. After all my notes clearly state that whenever possible I should only see female hcps because of what happened to me (not something I ever asked for).

Our local maternity hospital now lets men stay overnight with their partners and if I hadn't been given a private room, I would have been discharging myself hours after an emergency section.