NHS Foundation Trust gets NHS cash to end mixed sex wards

May 7 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

CALDERDALE and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust is to get £187,000 to help get rid of mixed sex wards.

The Trust – which runs Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Calderdale Royal Hospital – will receive the funding from the Department of Health to move towards single sex only wards.

The cash is part of £10.5m of Government money being given to hospitals by NHS Yorkshire and Humber to help them meet the Government’s directive.

In January, Health Secretary Alan Johnson told hospitals they had 14 months to eliminate mixed sex wards – or face losing financial penalties on a sliding scale.

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust only had mixed sex facilities in its ‘urgent care’ wards.

It will use the funding to change this, providing additional toilets and bathrooms, improved curtains for better privacy in bed areas and improved signage to make sure patients understand the new facilities.

Helen Thomson, Director of Nursing, said: “We are constantly improving and upgrading facilities for our patients and the award will enable us to extend this further.

“The additional work required under the terms of the latest guidelines is already underway and will make sure we continue to meet the high standards of privacy and dignity for our patients.”