Eliminating Mixed Sex Accommodation

The Trust has been awarded £215,000 from the Elimination of Mixed Sex Accommodation campaign.

The Trust has outlined the following plans to improve single sex accommodation and facilities. The following works have been approved:

Emergency Department

• To upgrade the current toilet to allow for more privacy for the patients using the area.
• To upgrade the toilet and bathroom (currently only one) servicing the observation ward in order that the two bays become single sex.

Medical Admissions/ Surgical Admissions

• To provide additional toilet allowing for separation of male and female patients.
• To provide a additional toilet.

Renal Unit

• Provision of further toilet/ shower to enable single sex facilities.
• Move high care area into two bays allowing for segregation of sexes.

Hard privacy screens

•  Some hard privacy screens are being purchased to allow for partitions between male and female patients where the existing building design did not allow changes to enable adequate segregation or for areas which required additional screens.

Monitoring equipment

• The Renal unit requested additional monitoring equipment to enable the segregation of the sexes within the high care area.

Privacy screens

• The provision of privacy screens has also been investigated within toilets and bathrooms, the purchase of these is underway for those areas within the East Block at QAH who require screens where the rooms open out onto a main corridor.

In addition to this funding, a sum of money was available via the PCT to provide for a local campaign to raise awareness and engage our patients into the initiative. A sum of £15000 was awarded, this will be utilized to print the patient apology leaflets regarding breaches. And to explore customer care training in a different way, ie the use of personal experience or using costumes to experience attitudes etc