Same Sex Accommodation

Same-Sex Accommodation

Patient Information

Introduction

As a patient, at Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, you can expect that we maintain your privacy, and treat you with dignity and respect.

By making these considerations our priority, we’re on our way to making your hospital experience as comfortable as possible, through the ‘Delivering Same-Sex Accommodation’ project.

The NHS is committed to providing you with same-sex accommodation and this leaflet explains what that commitment means to you as a patient.

What is same-sex accommodation?

For a hospital to say that it has same-sex accommodation, it must provide sleeping areas and toilet and washing facilities that are for men or women only.  This will mean different things in different hospitals.  You could be:

• In a same-sex ward, where the whole ward is occupied by either men or women only.
• In a single room, or
• In a mixed ward, where men and women are in separate bays or rooms.

Wards and bays, what difference does it make?

A ward is where a team with appropriate specialist skills treats a group of patients.

Within a mixed ward, same-sex accommodation is provided by single rooms or same-sex bays and toilet facilities.

A bay is a sleeping area with a single bed or multiple beds that is fully enclosed by solid walls on three sides.  The fourth side may be glazed or only partially enclosed to enable staff to clinically observe patients.

Why is same-sex accommodation important?

Patients have told us that being in same-sex accommodation makes a big difference to how comfortable and relaxed they feel while they are in hospital. Having to share accommodation with members of the opposite sex can have a negative impact on people’s privacy and dignity at a time when they may already be feeling vulnerable.

Some patients also have cultural or religious reasons for not wanting to share accommodation with members of the opposite sex.

Will there be times when same-sex accommodation isn’t possible?

If a patient needs urgent or highly specialised treatment that can only be given on a certain ward, or in a certain bay, they may need to share accommodation with members of the opposite sex.  Sometimes, the need for fast, effective treatments is greater than the need to provide same-sex accommodation.  In this situation, staff will keep you informed and move you into same-sex accommodation as soon as possible.

Our Declaration 

Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh NHS Foundation Trust is proud to confirm that mixed sex accommodation has been virtually eliminated in all of the Trust’s hospitals

The Trust recognises that every patient has the right to receive high quality care that is safe and effective and respects every patient’s right to privacy and dignity. The Trust is committed to providing every patient with same sex accommodation in order to safeguard their privacy and dignity.

Patients who are admitted to any of the Trust’s hospitals will only share the room where they sleep, toilets and bathrooms with members of the same sex. Sharing with members of the opposite sex will only happen based on clinical need; for example, when access to very specialist equipment is needed in critical care areas.