§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mixed sex wards there are at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford. [41920]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 11 March 2002]: Patients at Broomfield Hospital, part of Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust, are treated on wards that are divided into single-sex bays containing four or six beds. All wards have separate toilet and bathroom facilities for male and female patients.
As part of the plans for the development of Broomfield Hospital, the Trust is planning to have single gender wards.
The Trust is aware of the need to maintain the privacy and dignity of patients at all times and places great emphasis on the need to segregate male and female patients.