Number of NHS patients placed onto mixed-sex wards reaches all-time high of nearly 5,000

The number of NHS patients forced to endure the humiliation of banned mixed wards has reached an all-time high.

In January, nearly 5,000 people with the opposite sex were placed in wards, the worst number since the government first cracked down on the practice.

Ministers had promised to end so-called ‘wards of shame’ in 2010 after a long-running Daily Mail campaign.

Still, the latest data shows a worrying upward trend in incidents since the Covid pandemic, when the NHS quietly relaxed rules.

A fine of £250 per offense saw providers fined thousands for flouting the ban – but the fine was withdrawn in April 2020.

The disturbing rise in incidents comes as a damning report released today revealed dozens of rapes and assaults were taking place in hospitals every week.

It revealed that 6,500 sexual assaults have been reported in hospital settings in three years, with a shocking one in seven crimes occurring on wards.

Campaigners have long argued that segregated wards are paramount to protecting the dignity of both sexes and the safety of women, especially the elderly.

But increased pressure on hospital facilities, busier winter periods and the need to isolate Covid patients are likely to mean NHS Trusts struggle to comply.

The Mail’s analysis of the figures shows that the number of recorded incidents rose rapidly to a record high of 4,938 in January.

This is more than double the number recorded for pre-pandemic January in 2020, when there were 2,156 cases.

In contrast, the number of incidents ten years ago for the same month was 407 – with the total for the full year from April 2012 to March 2013 at 3,741.

Dennis Reed of Silver Voices, an over-60s campaign group, said: ‘The mixed gender sections have been banned for a reason and it is extremely concerning to see these stats creeping up again.

“It’s especially important for older people, especially older women, to be in single-sex wards.

“Many of the patients are very frail, they may have dementia or other conditions that prevent them from taking care of themselves or even expressing themselves if there is a problem.

“It’s not hard for predators to take advantage of these situations, especially at a time when medical staff are overworked and not always able to keep an eye on things.”

Campaigners claim that the practice of mixing patients also exposes vulnerable people who use bedpans, wear open hospital gowns and are forced to share bathrooms.

“In addition to the threat to their physical health, it is also extremely embarrassing and unworthy of many older people,” Mr Reed added.

The devastating report from the Women’s Rights Network – which exposed the scale of sexual abuse in hospitals – this week calls for better measures to protect patients, staff and visitors.

Found Heather Binning said: ‘We need to take all possible steps to make sure everyone in the hospital is safe.

“Gender divisions are vital to the protection of women and girls for two reasons.

‘First of all, men who don’t belong in the department are easier to recognize and their presence is easier to challenge.

“Second, opportunities are taken away if women are not placed close to men when they are most vulnerable.”

The government pledged to end mixed gender wards in the NHS 13 years ago and the introduction of £250 fines for hospitals for any mixed gender ‘offense’ initially drove numbers down. Although incidents initially remained in the hundreds during the first few years, they have risen steadily since 2017 and have remained above 2,000 per month since the start of the pandemic

The new WRN report also calls for the deletion of Annex B – which states that transgender people should be accommodated ‘according to their presentation’ – in hospital wards.

It says there should be “same-sex exceptions for hospital wards to ensure that women and girls in particular are adequately protected”.

Ms Binning said Annex B sees hospitals ‘put in a position where they prioritize one patient’s feelings over the potential safety of another’.

The government pledged to end mixed gender wards in the NHS 13 years ago and the introduction of £250 fines for hospitals for any mixed gender ‘offense’ initially drove numbers down.

While incidents initially numbered in the hundreds during the first few years, they have risen steadily since 2017 and have remained above 2,000 per month since the start of the pandemic.

There were 4,929 incidents recorded as of February 2020, but this was an anomaly caused by significant breaches reported by Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals following previous under-reporting.

For the five months since October, the data shows that the number of recorded incidents has exceeded 3,000 each month.

It surpassed 4,000 for the last three months recorded with 4,373 in December, 4,938 in January, and 4,164 in February.

A breach counts as any occasion where a patient is placed in a ward with the opposite gender, with the exception of intensive care units, heavily dependent units, or ER.

An NHS spokesperson said: ‘The provision of same-sex accommodation is a requirement under the NHS standard contract and trusts across the country are taking action to reduce or eliminate unjustified breaches, which remain rare.’