§ Lord Stoddart of Swindonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have considered the implications of the conviction at Liverpool Crown Court of Edward Butler who, when a patient in a mixed sex ward at Southport and Formby District General Hospital in March this year, sexually assaulted a female patient in the same ward; and whether the hospital authorities aided and abetted the crime by placing Mr Butler on a mixed sex ward; and [HL4653]
Whether mixed sex wards have now been phased out at Southport and Formby District Hospital; and, if not, why not. [HL4654]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath)The ward in which the assault took place consists of single sex bays and single rooms and thus is not classified as "mixed sex". All patients have access to single sex washing and toilet facilities. Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust carried out a risk assessment immediately after the incident, which included a comprehensive review of patient management and security, and has introduced revised procedures. Nursing patients in single sex bays on specialist wards enables more people to receive optimal levels of care, allows greater flexibility of admission and results in fewer empty beds.
§ Lord Stoddart of Swindonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will now order all hospital authorities to expedite the elimination of mixed sex wards. [HL4655]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathWe are maintaining pressure to ensure that the vast majority of health authorities achieve the elimination of mixed sex accommodation in line with government objectives by 2002. Arrangements for increased performance management and more regular monitoring have been set in place to keep this issue high on the agenda and to ensure that privacy and dignity are improved in those places where it will take longer to achieve single sex accommodation.