More than 2,000 NHS patients are still being treated on mixed-sex wards as tough fines come into play
MORE than £500,000 will be paid out by NHS trusts in England this month following the introduction of fines for inpatients treated in mixed-sex accommodation.
From June 1 trusts have to pay £250 every time they fail to house patients in a same-sex ward or room without clinical justification. And, according to data for May this year, a total of 2,011 patients are still suffering the indignity of sharing with members of the opposite sex, despite a multi-million pound investment in estates improvements.
The data, published by the Department of Health, reveals that, while there was a 24% reduction in reported cases compared to April this year, and an 83% drop since December, hospitals still have a way to go before they fully comply with the regulations. The May figures show the worst-performing SHA is NHS London, with 565 breaches; followed by NHS South East Coast with 498 breaches. NHS North East was the best performer, with just 19 reported incidences.
Of the acute providers, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust topped the league table with 374 breaches, followed by Barts and the London NHS Trust with 269 breaches, and South London Healthcare NHS Trust with 117 breaches. The hospitals worst affected were Kent and Sussex Hospital, which reported 311 incidences; and The Royal London Hospital with 269.
Commenting on the figures, Health Minister, Simon Burns, said: "Today's figures show tough action we have taken in having a sustained impact on reducing mixed-sex accommodation breaches. Greater transparency has now driven down breaches by more than 80% since December and I would like to pay tribute to all the NHS staff across the country who have worked so hard to make this happen.
"However, there are still too many breaches. This is why hospitals face fines of £250 for every breach, which can then be reinvested back into patient care."
The new data showed that 63% of the 103 acute trusts questions reported no breaches, compared to 59% in April. 42 trusts reported a reduction in the number of breaches compared to the previous month.
- Companies:
- Barts and The London NHS Trust
- Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
- South London Healthcare NHS Trust
