To think most women would prefer to be on a single-sex ward as hospital in patients?

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

This was debated in the House of Lords in the early hours today.

I'm not up to speed on this so I don't know how many single-sex wards there are in the NHS. I know it's been promised again and again but for various reasons, mostly I expect to do with money, it doesn't always happen. Now there's the additional headache of trans-identifying patients to factor in, many of whom won't have made many (or any) changes to their bodies.

My hunch is that most of us (male and female), given the choice, would prefer to be in a single-sex ward when stuck in bed with a flimsy gown on and all sorts of undignified and painful things going on with our bodies.

Am I right?

YABU - who cares, mixed sex is fine
YANBU - yes, I would prefer hospital wards to be single-sex

Mixed sex wards - normal but awful.
Mixed sex bays - never ever.

@BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation

When people say 'mixed wards' are there dedicated single sex bays or could you literally be in a bed opposite a man (if you're a woman)?

There is no way I'd cope with that. I'd discharge myself.

My MIL was in a supposed single sex ward which had bays that were single sex, but the ward itself was mixed. She had her own room by sheer luck. However, during the night a man entered her room and attempted to get into her bed. She was scared, vulnerable and did not have the strength to defend herself. Fortunately she was able to press her buzzer and a nurse responded straight away. The man was escorted back to his bed. She was terrified!

My 17 year old son had a operation and was on a child ward. He was full of kids and kids toys. Everytime he pulled the curtain around him someone opened it until he really objected. He's over 6ft and looked so out of place.

Thank you @EasterChimney - that's very kind of you. She would have been terribly anxious and uncomfortable in a mixed-sex setting.

@Lazylady76

My 17 year old son had a operation and was on a child ward. He was full of kids and kids toys. Everytime he pulled the curtain around him someone opened it until he really objected. He's over 6ft and looked so out of place.

Poor kid. I hope he's OK now. Mixed sex is fine on a children's ward up to about 11 or 12, but there really needs to be separate provision for adolescents, separated by sex again.

My young daughter was hospitalised before Christmas and even though she was in a single room there were several men on the ward. She was unable to get out and raise an alarm if need to or try and defend herself if necessary. It's not right to have to worry about your safety when I'll/injured

All the wards I worked on, obviously with the exception of gynaecology and maternity, we’re mixed wards. However most had 4 x 6 bedded bays, a 4 bedded bay and 6 single rooms with each bay/room having their own toilet and shower. Generally we moved patients around so that each bay was kept single sex. On occasion the 4 bedded bay was mixed for the shortest possible time we could manage. High dependency, ITU and CCU were mixed .

Yadnbu two years ago in my local hospital a 17 year old was sexually assaulted by a man on a mixed ward. I'd be terrified to stay on a mixed ward.

@SevenWaystoLeave

Can you please tell us which cases these are?

Very recent huge twitter outcry about a woman who claimed she was sharing a ward with a trans woman and was discharged when she complained - the tweeter later recanted her story and apologised, having realised she was mistaken and the other patient was not in fact trans. Nicholson has highlighted that case as an example even though it has proved to be false.

I certainly would not see her as an enemy to women.

She's consistently voted against abortion rights, an issue which negatively impacts many more women than the remote possibility they might have to be in the same hospital room as someone who may or may not be trans.

No she didn’t, she cited another case of a woman who was raped while in hospital but when she tried to report it, the hospital lied and claimed there was no male present, only women.

The hospital continued to lie to her and the police for a year until cctv and other evidence proved the woman’s story. The police then took the woman seriously.

In the case of the second patient who was called transphobic and removed from the hospital before her treatment was completed, we have little reason to believe that the hospital was telling the truth when they also claimed no males were present. Hospital policy demands that they lie.

Baroness Nicholson has done huge work throughout her life to help the Yazidi girls being enslaved and raped and has now turned her attention to women’s rights in this country which, despite us being a developed country with various claims to support human rights, seem to be whizzing backwards rapidly.

Attacks have happened on women in hospitals. Further removing what few safeguards we have is only going to make it worse.

My 21yr old son was recently on a general medical ward which was mixed. He has autism and though he’s very verbal and communicative, we were not allowed to visit and it wasn’t til he came home a week later that we found it had been a mixed ward. He was really upset as an elderly lady had been wandering into his “bay” and was often in a state of undress and got very stroppy and abusive when the staff tried to guide her out. The lady was poorly, obviously but how bloody inappropriate and unsafe is that for both sexes. Leaves patients wide open to abuse.

@SevenWaystoLeave

Lady Nicholson has a report of a woman raped on a hospital ward, unfortunately.

"Lady" Nicholson has a long history of jumping on - and spreading - false reports and narratives because they suit her vehemently anti-trans agenda so I wouldn't count anything she says with much credence to be honest. You're naive if you think she's anything other than a bigot with an agenda - she's certainly no friend to women or LGB people as she claims, since she's consistently voted against our rights.

You saying the woman raped was lying?

Not very "kind" that

Hospital policy demands that they lie.

This is true there are rainbow posters everywhere in the corridors of our local hospital. Staff have been trained that people are who they say that they are. Staff have to go along with that for fear of reprimand or worse.

Stonewall has a lot to answer for with its misrepresentation of the Equality Act.

Its more complex than just single sex wards....

If you happen to be in hospital for something fairly niche where there's only enough workload or patients to fill a single ward, what happens then?

What if you do manage to get two smaller wards, but, on a given day there happens to be more men, or more women, meaning the patients cant be split evenly...

For me the current situation in most hospitals where there are 4 or 6 bedded bays and some side rooms that allows the male/female allocation to be adjusted depending on need is the only way things are going to function, until such a time when all beds are in individual side rooms.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

He's fine now thanks, had to have a operation as he was being stupid with his mates and snapped his elbow, told him that was his punishment for being stupid. Think on the whole in a ideal world theirs loads of thing that should be changed. I remember having a eptopic pregnancy then being put on a ward with heavily pregnant woman, thankfully their was no newborn babies around.

@thecatsthecats

I voted YABU, but I'm aware that I'm on the flagrantly nudist/invulnerable end of the scale.

I've been more comfortable with some medical scenarios than trained nurses and doctors. Seem to be missing a shame chip.

What ?????

In all the years I've worked in many hospitals, I've never seen single sex wards.

Every ward I've known is designated by its medical speciality so the right team of professionals are based on it. Within the ward there are men's bays and women's bays. Then there are some side rooms - of which infectious cases and end of life care get priority, then anyone else.

I've seen both men and women in all sorts of states do horrific things to all sorts of people. There is a hell of lot more security on wards now then there used to be. There are contracted companies brought in to 1:1 patients who may do inappropriate things as well.

It is what it is. There's no way the NHS can rebuild everything to be single room only. And that also has terrible outcomes for many people in hospital.

@EmpressCixi

Ive been in hospital a few times and honestly did not care. I was either in too much pain or too high on morphine to register who was around me on other beds. I didn’t socialise with anyone.

I’ve always been allowed to bring my own track suit bottoms and t shirt or tank top to wear under my gown (or my DH has brought them in/dropped them off for me) - are there hospitals that force you to only wear their gown? Didn’t think they existed any more.

I realise I am in the minority so voted YANBU because I think most British women and men do prefer single sex bays or wards. We have a culture that is well known for strictly avoiding any hint of nudity between sexes inherited from Victorian times.

Are tracksuit bottoms a magical shield against rape or sexual assault

I've only ever stayed on mixed sex wards and can't say I was arsed about anything other than whether the medical professionals were treating my illness. I was nearly always in a single-sex bay except once, although I wasn't bothered either way.

I recognise that clearly that's not the case for everyone, however.

I do wonder how practically having entirely single-sex wards (rather than bays) would be: my local (small) hospital has a single ward for e.g. urology (although I assume single-sex bays). Should they build a entire new ward?

Capacity-wise, both either with single-sex wards OR bays, what if there's max capacity in 'male cardiac' and empty beds in 'female cardiac' - does the hospital say they can't admit cardiac patients as a result? I assume not, as the guidance says clinical need takes priority, and I think that's the correct choice, although I would guess they'd try and arrange single-sex bays where possible.

I've been in hospital a total of 5 times in my life, each time for surgery. I had a private room each time due to the nature of the surgery's (this is in the UK so under NHS). I hated it, would have much rather been in a ward from with other women. Would have hated having to share with men though due to being vulnerable

I have never cared. Noisy people are by far the worst problem. Lots of doctors and nurses are male and people are visited by male family members, so why worry about the other sick people. The nhs has far bigger problems than this.

@iolaus

As long as the BAYS are single sex, it wouldn't bother me if the ward was or not

I've always seen it where they have a male end and a female end

This. Single sexed bays on a mixed ward seems a reasonable compromise here

@XmasElf10

I think plenty of men would prefer single sex wards also! I would imagine generally most patients would prefer to be on single sex wards.

Yep!

YANBU .. I'd hate to be in a mixed sex ward ... I'd feel very uncomfortable

Strongly feel that single sex is essential.

Only stayed overnight on maternity, twice in shared area with curtains and 3 times in private rooms. Been on a mixed when I had an operation as an out patient, curtains were closed so I wasn't fussed.