Hospital unveils single-sex wards

Each ward has single-sex sleeping and bathroom facilities

Four newly refurbished single-sex wards are being officially unveiled at Ashford Hospital in Surrey.

The improvements on Chaucer, Dickens, Wordsworth and Fielding wards are part of a major ward improvement scheme at both Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals.

The design and appearance of the wards have been improved and are arranged so men and women do not have to share accommodation.

Trust chairman Aileen McLeish said the wards ensured "privacy and dignity".

She added that it was one of "the most far-reaching projects the trust has undertaken in recent years".

Physiotherapy room

As part of the refurbishment, Chaucer Ward, which is used for stroke rehabilitation, has a new day room and mini kitchen, while Dickens Ward, which is dedicated to orthopaedic patients, has its own physiotherapy gym.

The re-modelling of Fielding Ward has provided 22 beds, four single cubicles with shower rooms and a small physiotherapy room with parallel bars and a mini-practice staircase.

Wordsworth Ward, which is used for more complex medical patients and specialist rehabilitation for amputees, now has plenty of space for wheelchair movement.

All four wards, which were being opened by the Conservative MP for Spelthorne, David Wilshire, have separate sleeping and bathroom facilities for men and women.