Salisbury Hospital reports 32 single-sex ward breaches

It comes as the number of breaches across England has soared since the coronavirus pandemic began, with March seeing the second-highest number since 2011-12.

March had the highest number of breaches at SDH during the quarter, with 14 breaches compared to nine each for January and February.

The Patients Association said mixed-sex bays are "an affront to patients' dignity," claiming the stress they cause prohibits a strong recovery.

The NHS began collecting monthly data on mixed-sex accommodation in December 2010, following an investment to reduce the number of patients being kept in bays with members of the opposite sex.

In March 2012, a pledge was added to the NHS Constitution saying that patients admitted to hospital would not have to share sleeping accommodation with members of the opposite sex “except where appropriate.”

Justified breaches under the NHS guidance include urgent care situations, critical care and highly specialised care.

A Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said the most common cause of breaches in the single-sex accommodation rule is "when the appropriate sex of bed in a bay is not available at the time the bed is required.

This is most often during the night, where it is preferable to mix genders for a short period of time, rather than moving patients around in the middle of the night."

They added: "Salisbury Hospital tries extremely hard to minimise the number of breaches as we recognise it is not an ideal situation for patients. The decision is always made with senior members of the executive team undertaking a risk assessment to evaluate all options available.

"Priority is given to moving patients out of the Emergency Department and into a bed, where they can be cared for in a safer, more comfortable environment.  Sometimes that bed may, for a period of time, be in a mixed bay, not a single-sex bay."