A RULE preventing patients of different sexes from sharing the same ward was breached hundreds of times in Oxfordshire hospitals over a six-month period, figures reveal.

The Patients Association said the violations are an "affront to patients' dignity", adding that it is concerned over an increase in breaches nationally.

Hospitals have been expected to eliminate mixed-sex wards, except in justified situations, such as in intensive care, since 2010.

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However, NHS England figures show that between October and March, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recorded 228 breaches of mixed-sex accommodation rules.

In the five months between October 2019 and February 2020 there were 349 breaches.

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Data was not recorded between March 2020 and September 2021 because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

In April 2021, a policy to fine trusts a blanket rate of £250 for each breach of the rules was also dropped by the NHS.

The single-sex rules apply to sleeping accommodation, which includes any area where patients are admitted on beds or trolleys even if they do not stay overnight.

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Across England, 16,576 breaches were recorded between October and March – up from 12,947 between October 2019 and February 2020.

The Patients Association said it understands the challenges the NHS faced during the pandemic, but it must now restore services to pre-Covid levels.

Rachel Power, chief executive of the charity which campaigns on behalf of patients, said: "The figures for March are of great concern – mixed sex wards are an affront to patients’ dignity.

"No patient wants to receive intimate, personal care on a mixed sex ward, and it's the sort of stress that doesn't promote recovery."

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She added that urgent Government investment in social care could help reduce the number of breaches by allowing more medically fit patients to be discharged.

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Sam Foster, chief nursing officer at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Delivering same sex accommodation is a central part of the Trust’s care to maintain patients’ privacy and dignity when they are very unwell. We look after every patient individually, and part of this is balancing the safety risks of our patients being looked after in the right care environment.

“We always do what we can to provide same sex accommodation to patients and there are rare occasions when we need to prioritise their clinical need because they are very unwell and need specialist care. This can happen in intensive care, specialist neurological or cardiac care for example. The majority of our mixed sex breaches occur when a patient no longer needs a critical care bed and is waiting for a bed in a general ward.”

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This story was written by Rebecca Whittaker, she joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.

Rebecca covers education and news in Abingdon and Wantage.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Rebecca.Whittaker@newquest.co.uk or calling 07824524333

Follow her on Twitter @RebecWhitt

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