Mixed sex gastro ward

[lumpy76]

Aibu or is a mixed sex gastro ward not ok? Our 17yr old ds is being treated on an adult gastro ward where there are bays and rooms which are right next to each other. The bays are single sex but of course visitors and patients have to walk past them all to get to toilets and showers and on and off the ward. Our son has been exceptionally mature and despite being treated for severe colitis hasn't let it bother him. Many of the patients have dementia. However, when visiting tonight my DH has to walk past a poor old lady on the toilet with the door wide open. Now of course he could have been visiting a female ward and seen this but in general just the lack of dignity offered patients, many with dementia doesn't sit well with me. I thought there had been a directive brought in to end mixed sex wards?

I would rather be in a mixed sex bay receiving speciality care eg stroke, cardiac etc, than moved to another ward where I wasn't under the direct care of speciality nursing staff just because I was the 'wrong' sex to remain in a certain bay. In my experience they will try to have males in one bay and females in another on a mixed ward, but this isn't always possible. If you had 8 beds over 2 bays for example with 6 male patients and 2 female patients in a cardiac speciality ward, what would you expect the nurses to do?

The legislation requires that men and women are provided with single sex accommodation and lavatories where they are admitted overnight. Single bays on mixed sex wards are counted as single sex accommodation.

The exception is where there is a clinical need that takes precedence. That means patients can be on mixed accommodation on intensive care units, emergency departments (but not MAU or CDU), theatres and recovery, day surgery units or coronary care unit. Mixed sex bays are never acceptable and trusts are fined for mixed sex breaches.

The rules do not apply to children’s areas (where there are no restrictions or mental health units (where there are stricter rules).

Why is your ds on an adult ward and not the child/teen ward?

He's 17, if he's a new diagnosis then they go straight to adults at that age.

17 is too old to be on a children's ward. I wish mine didn't go up to 18.

@Toddlerteaplease I agree - he'd hate being in a children's ward and he has younger siblings - the youngest of whom is 3!

Ours hospital has only single rooms.