Over 1,000 sexual assaults in mixed sex mental health wards

[Uncompromisingwoman]

The DM reporting on this awful situation:
At least 1,019 reports of sexual assaults between men and women on mixed wards since April 2017 to October 2019 compared to just 286 reports of incidents on single-sex mental health wards over the same period.
Frustratingly the author of the original article in the HSJ (Health Service Journal) appears disinterested in whether the victims are men or women (no prizes for guessing) so there is no reference to the sex of those assaulted.
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7860747/More-1-000-patients-sexually-abused-mixed-sex-NHS-mental-health-wards-2-5-years.html

Original article here: www.hsj.co.uk/patient-safety/revealed-hundreds-of-sexual-assaults-each-year-on-mixed-gender-wards/7026629.article

Are they recording birth sex, why not record which birth sex is assaulting the other birth sex?

It sort of doesn’t matter as it is clear that single sex wards are safer and therefore wards should be single sex.

Indeed Sexequality. But it grates that even for something as critical as this, people are so desperate to eradicate the reality of women's sex based oppression that they can't mention it. Of course, it might be that the statistics are meaningless as self ID means that what looks like an upsurge in women offenders is in reality fake news ........ self censors any further comments in light of creepy monitors.

Goddamn.

Bumping because this is a scandal and needs more attention. Mixed sex is dangerous for women. How many times do we have to say it?

Ex member of staff revealed that 100 women fall pregnant every year while on a mixed sex mental health ward.
the threats to women from mixed sex wards aren't a new problem, its been reported in the press about once every 10 years.

Mixed-sex mental health warning 1998
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/223343.stm

Mixed-sex mental health warning 2008
Detaining women and youngsters on mixed-sex adult wards is seen as likely to heighten their risk of sexual abuse.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7216203.stm

Mixed-sex mental health warning 2018
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/11/nhs-launches-sexual-abuse-probe-amid-fears-dangers-mixed-sex/

'My teenage daughter is terrified in an adult psychiatric unit' 2019
''A mother has said her teenage daughter is "terrified" of the adult men in the secure psychiatric care unit where she is being treated.
Gillian told the BBC her 17-year-old daughter felt sexually vulnerable and unsafe in a mixed unit with eight adult men.''
www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-49447655

You'll notice in the last link that the response was not to offer single sex wards, but to suggest whats needed is segregated wards for young people instead.

I suppose TheInebriati that if you hide the actual statistics about sexual abuse of women in mental health and other hospital provision then there is no need to address it. Saves ££££.

This is just awful. Also bumping for more views.

The comments below the article are interesting in that there is almost total unanimity about how awful this is. And also countless commentators making the link with mixed sex toilets and changing rooms. A real sense that 'middle England' is finally becoming aware of the issues and are very unhappy with what is happening.

Mental health wards have to be among the worst places to try this as well. Full of people with all kinds of problems that can affect their ability to behave within normal social bounds, or that mean they aren't totally in touch with reality. Not to mention powerful drugs that may change behaviour in unexpected ways and which may not be well controlled.

Years ago my dad had to spend a few months in a mental health ward when he was having an extended manic episode. He didn't try and assault anyone but he was doing all kinds of crazy things that were socially inappropriate, destructive, and not normal for him. He'd have been horrified later if he had found out that he'd really hurt someone in some way when he was in care.

Mixed sex mental health wards are common in the US and Canada and so is sexual assault. You can request single-sex, but they might not have a space for you and you might have to wait. I've heard from so many women who were assaulted in psych wards. Nobody cares. It doesn't even make the news.

Those poor women, this is so sad and terrifying.

That is just beyond anything normal or sensible.

This should surprise nobody. I remember arguing about this with someone involved in mental health provision a while back and her argument was that mixed wards are better for the recovery of male patients. I pointed out that they're clearly not better for the female patients and she just kept refocusing on the male patients and how they need women around to recover properly and learn to reintegrate into society and blah blah. Just no concern for the impact the policy has on female patients whatsoever.

Why the hell are any mental health wards mixed sex in the first place? As people are forcibly contained there this must be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

How the actual fuck are women supposed to get better when they're forced to live with strange men and risk assault and rape? It's inhumane. Jesus H Christ!

Men really don't get it. 'Poor mentally ill man can't help it.'
WHAT ABOUT POOR MENTALLY ILL WOMAN?
Apologies for shouting, but it seems necessary. Oh, and:
'Not all mentally ill men.'
FFS. Mentally ill women in hospital shouldn't have to endure ANY mentally ill men.
TVM.

Absolutely horrific. 100, 100!! pregnancies per year. I would like to hope that being in a secure mental health ward in the first place would mean women were considered to be unable to give consent for sex but I’m not that naive. Christ it’s horrible. Just imagine being a woman in the middle of a mental health crisis and then shoved in with men and sexually assaulted/raped. There is no thought for the women is there? Another horrifying report to demonstrate just how insignificant women’s needs are

Also, have the DM completely missed that NHS wards are no longer single sex?

Apart from anything else how is "oh well, we're officially committed to single gender (not sex, that part's a lie) wards but sometimes if it gets crowded we'll just have to mix patients (shrugs) guess it just can't be helped (shrugs again) and we will of course report ourselves when that happens (definitely! you can trust us!)" an acceptable thing to be happening?

I have personal experience of this but my experience was much more minor than what many others go through. I was 19. I am having trauma therapy nearly two decades on. It's such a basic - protecting women at their most vulnerable. It should be relatively easy to take steps to make changes to prevent this from happening. I won't hold my breath though.

I remember arguing about this with someone involved in mental health provision a while back and her argument was that mixed wards are better for the recovery of male patients.

I am sure that it may be better for some or many male patients to be around women. I kind of think though that there could be safe ways to facilitate interactions with women who aren't also patients, at least for many of those men.

I'm getting really tired of banging my head against the wall going "women do not exist to facilitate men's mental health and/or emotional needs".

Delurking to post for this.
It's so frustrating. This was an issue when I was working in acute adult MH back in 00s and sadly nothing has changed. Women and children on wards are so vulnerable. Children were occasionally placed with us if there were no youth spaces available. I think we had 3 in total, either 15 or 16. They were only 'specialled' (had a member of staff with them at all times) if they were in full-time education. 16 yr olds who'd left school were considered adults, so didn't get the chaperone as a matter of course.
We had patients who presented a risk because of their illness. We had a few paedophiles as well, usually trying to fabricate a psychiatric mitigation for their crimes. We didn't have paedophiles and children admitted at the same time, thank God.

100 pregnancies a year is in. sane. Thats nearly 2 a week!