Hospitals in Greater Manchester say they will not be affected by plans to scrap mixed-sex wards – because they have already axed them.
The coalition government has confirmed it intends to end most mixed-sex hospital accommodation in England.
They would mean patients sharing sleeping, bathroom and toilet facilities only with people of the same sex.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said bringing about the change was a priority, but patients’ groups questioned how it could be achieved.
More details are expected to be announced today and it is expected the measures will apply to all wards except accident and emergency and intensive care units by the end of the year.
The M.E.N understands that hospitals in Greater Manchester have already met the requirements.
They have stopped using mixed-sex wards, except in A&E departments.
Nationally, patients groups welcomed the prospect that mixed-sex wards could finally be abolished.
But, at the same time, they questioning how it could be achieved at a time when public services were facing massive cutbacks.
Catherine Murphy, of the Patients’ Association, said: "Given that every health secretary and every new prime minister has made this same pledge since 1997, we will wait to see if this time it really is more than just rhetoric."
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I find that hard to believe as my Mother was put on what was supposed to be a male at Crumpsall. Also at Wythenshawe they still have mixed wards. My mother was in one part of a ward and across the open corridor were males in full view.
Patrick Sudlow
Most wards in Manchester say they are single sex but are in fact mixed sex with single sex areas. This doesn't always ensure privacy and dignity for patients especially in psychiatric wards (where this sometimes has terrible consequences). It probably will never be affordable to create genuine single sex wards but this article is misleading.
Rules like this cause extra problems. What if someone is brought in A and E and there is only one bed left in the department they need to go to and its on a different sex ward?
Its just another gimmick that could cost lives.
Tameside hospital still use mixed sex wards on its day surgery unit.
I was in NMGH last week. I could not care less who was in the bed next to me ,as long as they left me in peace to sleep it off after the op! It happened to be single sex. So what?
Sorry but Tameside hasn't stopped using them,
I was in a 4 bed mixed ward recently,I didnt find it a big deal at all,if you want privacy you just draw the curtains around your bed,there were defenetly no naked people walking around,mind you even for an oldie like me it would have been a good laugh,joking aside,if there is a choice of having to wait for a bed or one is avaiable in a mixed ward it would be foolish not take it.
Rochdale Infirmary's Medical admissions ward is mixed,