To seek assurances that I’ll be put on a single sex ward?

[Thoosa]

Not single gender. Single sex.

Im due for one, maybe two, surgeries this year. I’m a DV and rape survivor.

I’m nervous.

[quote Thoosa]**@Meadmaiden* @housemaus*

The last ward I was on was long skinny and sort of semi open plan with single “bays” of sorts as in hard partitions buy curtained fronts, more like an old A&E, so I don’t know what to make of that. That was an emergency admission so no time to plan or think much.

Operation before that I was in a private room (no idea why) and that was the days of single sex wards.

Other than that I’ve only had three maternity ward stays. First two fine (~2000) last one (~2010) full of male visitors all night.

So I feel like this is new to me and I don’t really understand how it works[/quote]
Hm - I know the type of ward you mean, you don't see those often generally! It tends to be the 'big rooms (/bays) of 4-8 beds off a central nurses' station' type.

It's a tough one to balance, but in my experience if you speak to the ward sister (potentially ahead of time, if you know which ward you'll be in pre and post-op - at my local hospital there's 1 ward per department, roughly, but YMMV if it's a big hospital) and ask that if possible you have a side room (IME, "for personal reasons" would probably cover it, so hopefully you'd not have to disclose further) they'll try and take it into account unless someone else's clinical need made it impossible - barrier nursing someone with an infectious illness, etc. You could also ask the admissions clerk or similar to make a note on your file to the same effect.

Otherwise, unless it's a very old hospital and their layouts are all like the long skinny ward you've been on previously, you're pretty much guaranteed a single-sex bay I believe (unless, as PPs have said, clinical need dictated otherwise - urgently needed treatment on a ward with limited bed space, etc, which if this is planned surgery is unlikely, thankfully!).

Regardless of our own experiences, we cannot marginalise one group of society because of the actions of a minority within that group

FFS safeguarding means nothing to you. The feelings of women who mean nothing to you.

Trans women are male. There is no evidence that the are less of a risk than any other women.

@Toddlerteaplease

They shouldn't tell anything else about anyone else's gender. That patient has a right to confidentiality as much as you do.

There's a simple solution which doesn't involve telling patients anything. It's quite straightforward: you don't put male patients in female bays.

[quote Piper22]@SantaCarlaCalifornia How are they any different from any other male?

A transwoman is simply a male person that believes they are a woman.

You’ve answered your own question.[/quote]
Supply evidence that shows this belief means they have a lower rate of sexual offending than other males.

Also, supply evidence showing that male sexual offenders who do not believe they are women are also far too stupid to realise that lying will open up new opportunities to access victims.

Sex offenders in prison lie about believing in a god, if they think the Muslim and/or Jewish prisoners get better food.

I don't really care if a man successfully pretends he's converted to Judaism because he likes the look of kosher meals, but I do rather care if he successfully lies about what he thinks to order to access women and children to sexually abuse.

[quote Piper22]@SantaCarlaCalifornia How are they any different from any other male?

A transwoman is simply a male person that believes they are a woman.

You’ve answered your own question.[/quote]
But why should women lose the right to single-sex spaces purely due to a thought in someone's head? How is that fair?

Believing something doesn't actually make it true.

@DdraigGoch it’s in no way unusual for a man, or team of men, to be in charge of a women’s ward. It used to happen regularly at my last place of work, though admittedly that was within women’s mental health services. At least two nights out of the week would see the acute ward run in the absence of any female staff. Please don’t be fooled that predatory male healthcare workers are deterred by the risk of losing their job. I have worked alongside three men who have sexually assaulted their female patients, two of whom are currently serving prison sentences.

@Slowfoxfast

I have been the victim of sexual assault (more than once) and having a trans patient on the same ward as me wouldn't trouble me in the slightest. When I've been in hospital it is the male visitors that I find disturbing, the ones visiting their partner for hours at a time sitting opposite or a foot away from your bed staring at all the patients. They give me the creeps and I wish the nurses would boot them out after a couple of hours. Give me a trans woman any day, I expect they would be as keen as I am to get out of the hospital as fast as humanly possible.

The man who locked me in a house, raped me several times, threatened to kill me, cut my arm and made me bathe in bleach when I was 15 now identifies as a trans woman. So you can say all you like that you would be fine with a trans woman on your ward, but you can’t speak for all women. There is no chance in hell that I could be on the same ward as a man or trans woman. Don’t be happy to give away other people’s rights.

[quote Piper22]@DdraigGoch it’s in no way unusual for a man, or team of men, to be in charge of a women’s ward. It used to happen regularly at my last place of work, though admittedly that was within women’s mental health services. At least two nights out of the week would see the acute ward run in the absence of any female staff. Please don’t be fooled that predatory male healthcare workers are deterred by the risk of losing their job. I have worked alongside three men who have sexually assaulted their female patients, two of whom are currently serving prison sentences.[/quote]
You seem to be saying that as patients are already at risk from male staff, there's no point bothering about attempting to minimise risk from male patients. Is that actually what you're trying to get across?

Roses that's what I got, too

risefromyourgrave

I'm so angry for you.

[quote Piper22]@DdraigGoch it’s in no way unusual for a man, or team of men, to be in charge of a women’s ward. It used to happen regularly at my last place of work, though admittedly that was within women’s mental health services. At least two nights out of the week would see the acute ward run in the absence of any female staff. Please don’t be fooled that predatory male healthcare workers are deterred by the risk of losing their job. I have worked alongside three men who have sexually assaulted their female patients, two of whom are currently serving prison sentences.[/quote]
Well that’s cheerful.

So you’re saying more men than we think are sexually assaulting women patients?

Therefore, you argue that we should give up trying to safeguard ourselves.

What a delight you sound.

@risefromyourgrave and others (sorry I had to walk away for a bit and didn’t get all the names). 💐✊🏼

Sorry to see so many of us here.

@RoseslnTheHospital if you read the post I’m replying to you’ll see that I’m just responding to the poster’s points as I think that what was said was factually incorrect

I'm not pretending to be speaking for all women @risefromyourgrave, I am talking about myself.

As for examples of trans women who have done terrible things, women do terrible things as well ( Rose West being one that comes to mind immediately.) I find it abhorrent that a minority group of people are all being tarnished with the same brush as a few aberrant examples.

t’s in no way unusual for a man, or team of men, to be in charge of a women’s ward. It used to happen regularly at my last place of work, though admittedly that was within women’s mental health services. At least two nights out of the week would see the acute ward run in the absence of any female staff. Please don’t be fooled that predatory male healthcare workers are deterred by the risk of losing their job. I have worked alongside three men who have sexually assaulted their female patients, two of whom are currently serving prison sentences.

Obviously all this is very wrong. It's not a race to the bottom though, we can care about privacy and dignity of patients in lots of different circumstances, and as patients we don't have to accept being treated poorly without complaint because others have it worse.

@LightSpeeds

Surely, the risks in order of likelihood are 1) Males on the Ward 2) Male staff.

The chances of there being anyone trans about (male to female) or that person being a rapist/abuser are minuscule compared to 1 and 2 above.

The people making this a 'trans issue' are serving their own agendas and spreading hate and panic.

This. There WILL be men on the ward. I'm not saying this to panic you but to put your worries into context.

Most wards are mixed, with single-gender bays. There's nothing to physically stop men walking into a women's bay.

Some staff are men. You can stop men from treating you, but you can't stop men from treating the woman in the bed next to yours.

Some visitors will be men. You can't stop them from coming onto the bay.

So why are you specifically worried about the minuscule chance that someone on your ward is transgender?

@Thoosa no, I was just responding to some factually incorrect points that were made about male healthcare workers

@Siepie precisely, transphobia

This thread is so transphobic.
Whether some one is male or female doesn't mean they are a bad person.
Any one can assault anyone. If your so worried then pay for a private bed.
Sex and gender are just legal terms.
To all of you who are ignorant your sex/gender is determined by your brain not genitals.

many men have been assaulted by women but they don't cause a fuss and demand male only medical staff. If they did they would be told to "man up" by the majority on mumsnet.

most people who are in hospital are bed bound. If you can look after yourself the NHS will discharge you.

Hm - I know the type of ward you mean, you don't see those often generally! It tends to be the 'big rooms (/bays) of 4-8 beds off a central nurses' station' type.

It's a tough one to balance, but in my experience if you speak to the ward sister (potentially ahead of time, if you know which ward you'll be in pre and post-op - at my local hospital there's 1 ward per department, roughly, but YMMV if it's a big hospital) and ask that if possible you have a side room (IME, "for personal reasons" would probably cover it, so hopefully you'd not have to disclose further) they'll try and take it into account unless someone else's clinical need made it impossible - barrier nursing someone with an infectious illness, etc. You could also ask the admissions clerk or similar to make a note on your file to the same effect.

Otherwise, unless it's a very old hospital and their layouts are all like the long skinny ward you've been on previously, you're pretty much guaranteed a single-sex bay I believe (unless, as PPs have said, clinical need dictated otherwise - urgently needed treatment on a ward with limited bed space, etc, which if this is planned surgery is unlikely, thankfully!).

Thank you so much @housemaus 🙏🏻

It’s so helpful to understand the system and the likelihoods a bit more.

Also particularly good to know “personal reasons” might suffice.

I feel orientated a bit by your posts and those of other HCPs on the thread. Really appreciate it.

@Boredoutmymind

This thread is so transphobic. Whether some one is male or female doesn't mean they are a bad person. Any one can assault anyone. If your so worried then pay for a private bed. Sex and gender are just legal terms. To all of you who are ignorant your sex/gender is determined by your brain not genitals.

many men have been assaulted by women but they don't cause a fuss and demand male only medical staff. If they did they would be told to "man up" by the majority on mumsnet.

most people who are in hospital are bed bound. If you can look after yourself the NHS will discharge you.

To all of you who are ignorant your sex/gender is determined by your brain not genitals.

Where on earth have you got that idea from? Ladybrain is not a thing you know.

@Slowfoxfast

I'm not pretending to be speaking for all women *@risefromyourgrave*, I am talking about myself.

As for examples of trans women who have done terrible things, women do terrible things as well ( Rose West being one that comes to mind immediately.) I find it abhorrent that a minority group of people are all being tarnished with the same brush as a few aberrant examples.

I’m incredulous too at the prejudice, discrimination and stigmatisation of this minority group. Particularly that some posters are willing to communicate it so openly. I cannot imagine it being in any way acceptable for any other minority group to be spoken about in similar terms

many men have been assaulted by women calling bullshit on this. Overwhelmingly its the male sex who cause all the trouble. You are clearly an MRA here to stop wonen talking about their own concerns.

@Linguini

Trans isn't the issue it's rapists being protected by hospitals that is the problem surely

Trans people don't stop being trans as soon as they use their penis to rape.

The problem isn't trans people, female trans people don't pose a problem, the problem is male people, trans or not.

Absolutely.

I cannot believe that on a thread about rape someone has wheeled out the females do terrible things too. Aren’t the figures 98% of sexual crimes are committed by men and 90% of victims of sexual assault are women.