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

I honestly don’t care who’s next to me in a hospital

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?

15 years ago I was admitted as an emergency on to the men's surgical ward of a hospital in a side room with my baby as I was breastfeeding.

It was that or nothing as the side rooms of the women's ward were full. I had to sign a disclaimer form saying the hospital couldn't guarantee the safety of the baby. That wasn't because I was on a men's ward though I don't think, it was more that it is unusual for women to take their babies into hospital with them, but my baby was exclusively breastfed and wouldn't take a bottle.

@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.

You were "too high on morphine to register who was around you" Therein lies the problem! You were vulnerable and unable to protect yourself if you needed to.

Oh yes, the MRA position that women lie about rape in order to hoist their anti-trans agenda.

🧐🤮

Every time I've stayed in hospital it's been single sex. maybe I've been lucky. Of course ideally, single sex is preferable, but the debate will be fine to finances. If it was a choice between mixed wards or no nhs, I'd choose mixed wards all day! We're incredibly lucky to have the nhs. Things could be so much worse. Ive experienced from living abroad the state of other European hearh care systems.

I think the problem is also male visitors on any wards though. Someone on a single sex ward, bay or private room could be sexually assaulted by a visitor. So there needs to be good security on any ward.

Thing is how far would you want that to go? A single sex ICU for instance just isn’t practical. ICU beds need allocating according to need not according to sex.

I’ve spent time both on ICU and CCU and both have been mixed sex. And on CCU the people who were worse and most disruptive by far were women.

When I moved down to the main ward there were all single sex side rooms with 2 patients to a room.

I would. When I’ve been ill (long term condition) I don’t want anyone gawking at me. I barely want to speak to the women let alone a random man!

If given a choice, sure I’d prefer it but the one time
I was in hospital on a mixed ward I didn’t care in practice. I felt lucky to have a) a bed at all and b) for it to be free at the point of care.

I had three weeks in hospital a couple of years ago. Initially, I was in a 4 bed bay that was single sex, with two beds on one side and two more opposite. I felt comfortable in terms of my safety and privacy, although I was very poorly.

Then I was moved to a mixed sex CCU ward, which was U-shaped, obs desk in the middle with cubicles around the U. None were looking into the other cubicle. It was mostly men in there, including one very volatile, shouty old man who kept coming into my cubicle at night time, standing over me.

Looking back, I was very scared, but too ill to kick up much of a fuss about it. I was relieved when he went home.

@Stroopwaffle5000
You were "too high on morphine to register who was around you" Therein lies the problem! You were vulnerable and unable to protect yourself if you needed to.

I don’t think the onus should be on vulnerable women to protect themselves. That’s what the nursing staff are for. And yes, there is a small risk of a male nurse being a serial rapist. But honestly, the staff are there for a reason.

I am lucky enough to never be admitted to a hospital ward in this country. I was once admitted for 24 hours but was allocated a private room.

There is absolutely no way I could sleep/relax in a mixed sex ward.

@SevenWaystoLeave

Couldn't care less. I spent a hospital stay on a mixed sex ward, it's difficult not having privacy sometimes but that isn't impacted by the gender of the person in the bed next to you, and everyone is in the same boat anyway. If a trans person is in hospital it's because they're sick and vulnerable too. As for what parts they have, how would you even know, you're not actually ever going to see them naked even with the lack of privacy on wards.

Admkssion and assessment wards are often mixed sex - and I mean 'a room with both men and women in it'.

My mother (no longer with us) was in hospital a lot in the last year of her life and more than once I visited her in her first couple of days to find her in a room with at least one man. To say she hated it and felt very vulnerable would be an understatement.

It needs to be remembered that these days, most people in hospital are elderly. Putting males of any identification in the same room as elderly women is cruel.

I'm a nurse in a geriatric ward and we have several side rooms and mostly bays of 6 which are male or female. A lot of my female patients prefer female staff to care for them which is mostly doable. A high proportion have some form of dementia/ cognitive impairment and unfortunately can wander into bays of the opposite sex. There are always staff in the bays so nothing untoward happens but it can still frighten patients. Despite being short staffed we always prioritise having someone in each bay, but I appreciate not every ward/ hospital is the same. So generally speaking for my sort of patients I would say yes they probably would prefer single sex wards but I Don't know if it will ever be implemented.

The last hospital ward I was on was mixed - but that was because the people on it were all seriously sick and recently admitted via A&E - I went in on a Friday evening and was on a monitor until my procedure on the Monday. I'm pretty sure intensive care is always mixed sex. So I think there's a sliding scale to these things.

@SevenWaystoLeave

Couldn't care less. I spent a hospital stay on a mixed sex ward, it's difficult not having privacy sometimes but that isn't impacted by the gender of the person in the bed next to you, and everyone is in the same boat anyway. If a trans person is in hospital it's because they're sick and vulnerable too. As for what parts they have, how would you even know, you're not actually ever going to see them naked even with the lack of privacy on wards.

My step-father died of brain tumours and was on a mixed neuro ward. When we arrived for a visit he'd kicked his blankets off and his catheter was on full display. It didn't upset me - he passed soon after - but sadly there is a chance that people see each other naked

I would hate to be in a mixed ward. I remember when I lived in London and visited son's nana in hospital and was so shocked to see the beds so close together and a man in the next bed. I would feel uneasy and would not be able to sleep and it just seems bizarre that there are mixed wards. Has there always been mixed wards in u.k. Not sure if mixed here in Ireland as thank god never been in hospital but don't think they are. Seems unsafe and when you are vulnerable and feeling and looking your worst why would you want men beside you in bed where you should be able to relax and feel secure.

I'm lucky to have not been on a ward apart from postnatal, so it's purely how I think I'd feel, but it wouldn't bother me as long as I had curtains I could pull round my bed, if needed.
I wouldn't be at all happy if males weren't allowed on the postnatal ward at all, luckily I didn't have to stay overnight with my second baby, but I would have been quite distressed not having my partner there with my first.

I was just checking here in Ireland if there are mixed wards and think for a while there was when there was a shortage of beds etc and you can understand in I.C.U. there would be a mixed ward. There was one incident in 2018 where a 16 year old girl with a lot of injuries was put on a mixed ward with 3 other men and one of these men had a long history of serious psychiatric disorders and at 5am she awake to him touching her inappropriately her breasts and vagina over her pyjamas and she could not move to press the emergency bell. A nurse came in because the man's monitor went off as he had left his bed. She was moved to a private room but requested to go home as traumatized and it has affected her deeply and when she was doing her leaving cert exams and obviously has affected how she views older men. Her dad stayed with her all night in the private room as she was terrified. Just shocking to think this could be happening so much and single wards must be a standard thing. What about trans men also who still have a penis, are they going to be in the female wards. In Ireland anyone can just change their name and status from a man to female so scary to think men are in women's spaces where we should feel safe.

The majority of new hospitals being built are mostly given over to single rooms , which is better for patients of either sex but not as good from a nurses point of view as it is so hard to keep an eye on a patient in a solo room with the door shut especially when they are short staffed .
If rooms do have to be shared then I agree that they should be single sex where possible . The exception to this is the admissions wards , both medical and surgical . These are both busy wards where transfers in and out can go on 24 hours , with staff constantly in the room so patients should be able to feel safe until they are transferred to a suitable ward , even though they're probably sleep deprived.

ICU is totally different. Staff ratios are higher. Most patients aren't conscious and those that are can't get out of bed without very significant assistance.

I wouldn't be able to sleep either, when I had my C-section my husband had left to get something to eat and two groups of men on the ward visiting their wives/gfs had an actual physical fight. I know they weren't patients kicking off but I remember distinctly how vulnerable I felt because I had a catheter in and couldn't move due to epidural/anesthetic! I felt that the staff couldn't do anything to protect us because they are so stretched!

Are people confusing the word ward for bay?
Because if we were to have single sex wards we'd have to double the size of our hospital!!

@Shitfuckcommaetc

Are people confusing the word ward for bay? Because if we were to have single sex wards we'd have to double the size of our hospital!!

IDK, what is a 'bay'?

@BOOTS52 “What about trans men also who still have a penis, are they going to be in the female wards. In Ireland anyone can just change their name and status from a man to female so scary to think men are in women's spaces where we should feel safe.”
Interesting that you should say this. Here in Scotland the government are bringing in identical legislation and are using Ireland as an example of a country where allowing self-identification for trans people causes no problems, no problems at all.