§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his forecast of when there will be more single-sex than mixed-sex wards; what cost is involved; and if he will make a statement. [15115]
§ Mr. HoramInformation on the number of single-sex and mixed-sex wards is not collected centrally. As announced last month, we are taking forward a programme of work to ensure that patients charter standards on this issue are fully met. As a first step, we have asked health authorities to agree challenging local targets with trusts for achieving charter objectives on privacy and dignity and to report back to the national health service executive by the end of February.