THE number of patients on mixed sex wards at hospitals in Oxfordshire is still too high, according to the chief executive of Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals.

Trevor Campbell Davis spoke out after a patient survey revealed the number of patients sharing wards was 22 per cent, higher than the national average of 21 per cent, but lower than last year, when 29 per cent had to share.

The findings came in a nationwide survey published by the Care Quality Commission, the new independent regulator of health services.

According to the survey, 93 per cent of patients staying in Oxfordshire hospitals rate their care as excellent, very good or good, a one per cent improvement on last year.

Mr Campbell Davis said: “While fewer patients report having to share a sleeping area or bathroom facilities with the opposite sex, the numbers are still too high, and this is something I am determined to tackle. Our new facilities, including the cancer centre which opened in April, and the heart centre, which will open later this year, all have a high proportion of single rooms. Our older buildings present more of a challenge.

“We recently had the opportunity to apply for funding from the NHS, and I am pleased to announce that we received £1m, which we will be using to create more same-sex facilities in our older buildings.”

At the John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals in Oxford, and The Horton in Banbury, the survey was completed by 450 patients. They were asked to rate 64 areas of care.

Patients scored the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals better than the national average in 25 areas and significantly better in eight.

The hospitals were not significantly below the national average in any area.

Mr Campbell Davis added: “This survey shows that it is not just the standards of our buildings or the quality of clinical care which matters to patients and their families, but many other factors, including the way they are treated by staff.

“The way our doctors and nurses communicate with patients comes in for particular praise, but there are many other areas in which we do well.”

Jacquie Pearce-Gervis, a spokesman for the ORH’s patient focus group, said: “Men and women object to mixed wards – patients want single-sex toilets which are clearly marked, so the sooner money is invested in this the better.”

Nearly 90 per cent of patients receiving treatment at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (NOC), in Headington, Oxford, rated their care as excellent or very good, compared to 87 per cent last year.

At the NOC, patients’ top scores included 96 per cent of patients being cared for in single-sex accommodation.