Single sex wards challenge trust

Some intensive care and cancer units are too small to allow single sex use

Ensuring all hospital wards are single sex is proving a challenge for some primary care trusts, a report reveals.

The East of England NHS has set the objective of ensuring wards are single sex "to ensure privacy and dignity".

"North East Essex PCT still has a four-bed long stay unit which has mixed sex accommodation and is reviewing its arrangements for the patients.

"The trust has stated that it will have addressed this issue by 31 March 2009," the report reveals.

"Every primary care trust in the east of England is guided by the principles of ensuring privacy and dignity for everyone who uses NHS services," an East of England NHS statement said.

"Those primary care trusts that currently commission services not fully mixed sex compliant have plans to resolve the small number of outstanding issues," it continued.

The East of England NHS works with 40 primary care trusts in the region, has a health budget of £7.1 billion and is responsible for more than 5.4 million people.