Delivering Same-Sex Accommodation
Declaration of compliance
Every patient has the right to receive high quality care that is
safe, effective and respects their privacy and dignity.
North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) is committed to providing every
patient with same sex accommodation. This helps to safeguard their
privacy and dignity when they are often at their most
vulnerable.
NBT is pleased to confirm that it has completed and maintained
its plans to eliminate mixed sex accommodation where it is in the
overall best interests of the patient, or reflects their personal
choice’.
Our aim is to have the necessary facilities, resources and
culture to ensure that admitted patients will only share the room
where they sleep with members of the same sex, and same-sex toilets
and bathrooms will be close to their bed area.
Sharing with members of the opposite sex will only happen when
clinically necessary, for example the Intensive Care Unit.
What this mean for
patients
Patients admitted to North
Bristol NHS Trust can expect to find:
- The room where your bed is will only have patients of the same
sex as you
- Your toilet and bathroom will be just for your gender, and will
be close to your bed area.
It is possible that there will be both men and women patients on
the ward, but they will not share your sleeping area.
You may share some communal space, such as day rooms or dining
rooms, and it is very likely that you will see both men and women
patients as you move around the hospital (eg on your way to X-ray
or the operating theatre).
It is probable that visitors of the opposite gender will come
into the room where your bed is, and this may include patients
visiting each other.
It is almost certain that both male and female nurses, doctors
and other staff will come into your bed area.
If you need help to use the toilet or take a bath (eg you need a
hoist or special bath) then you may be taken to a "unisex" bathroom
used by both men and women, but a member of staff will be with you,
and other patients will not be in the bathroom at the same
time.
We are also committed to ensuring all patients are treated as
individuals and that all patients' privacy and dignity are
maintained.
The NHS will not turn patients away just because a "right-sex"
bed is not immediately available.
Future plans
The Trust's
long-term objective is to move to the new hospital at Southmead
with 75% single room accommodation.
In the meantime, the Trust is committed to ensure all patients'
privacy and dignity is respected.
Measuring
success
Feedback from the 2010/11
inpatient survey identified that 97% of patients felt they were
treated with privacy and dignity. The Trust has recently
introduced an electronic patient survey tool that will provide more
regular feedback of patients' views. In addition all
complaints received by the Trust relating to privacy and dignity
issues are fully investigated.
If our care should fall short of the required standard, we will
report it to ensure we do not misclassify any of our reports.
If we are unable, due to clinical pressures, to offer appropriate
single sex accommodation we have a robust audit mechanism. It is
investigated and action is taken to rectify it within 12 hours. The
Trust Board monitors all this information on a monthly basis.
If you think you are in mixed sex accommodation or have any
comments or concerns, please contact dignity@nbt.nhs.uk or telephone
0117 3236261.
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