Privacy and Dignity
Every patient has the right to receive high quality care that is safe, effective and respects their privacy and dignity. Airedale NHS Trust is committed to providing every patient with same-sex accommodation, because it helps to safeguard their privacy and dignity when they are often at their most vulnerable.
We are proud to confirm that mixed sex accommodation has been virtually eliminated in our hospital. Patients will only share the room where they sleep with members of the same sex, and same sex toilets and bathrooms will be close to their bed area. All of our general wards have doors to the entrance of each bay in order to safeguard privacy and reduce noise.
Sharing with members of the opposite sex will only happen by exception based on clinical need (for example where patients need specialist equipment such as in the intensive care unit, coronary care unit and high dependency unit) When this occurs, we will always aim to transfer patients to an appropriate ward once it is clinically safe to do so.
In other wards, such as the Children’s Ward, children may chose to share a room/bay and this is based on the needs and choice of each child.
The Trust has complied with the Department of Health guidance to virtually eliminate mixed sex accommodationand its declaration of compliance can be found here, which was approved by the Trust’s Board of Directors at their board meeting on 24 February 2011.
What does this mean for patients at Airedale Hospital?
Same sex-accommodation means:
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The room where your bed is will only have patients of the same sex as you
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Your toilet and bathroom will be just for your gender, and will be close to your bed area
