§ Ms. Gordonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice he has given to regional or district health authorities concerning the practice of placing patients of both sexes in overnight geriatric wards in mental hospitals; and what safeguards exist against physical harassment of vulnerable women patients.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe principles which should govern the provision of mixed sex wards were conveyed to area health authority chairmen, at a meeting in 1980 chaired by the then Secretary of State, to the effect that patients' dignity and privacy must be respected, any arrangements whereby men and women share bedrooms is unsatisfactory, and sanitary facilities should give complete privacy. The desirability of a male and female nurse always being present in a mixed day area, and of nurses of both sexes being on call during the night was emphasised.
Mixed wards managed on this basis can be of positive therapeutic value to elderly people who are mentally ill. They can provide a setting for social contact, and may encourage improved social behaviour, personal hygiene and appearance.