Patients have a right to be treated with dignity and respect when they come to us for treatment.

National surveys show that patients do not want to share sleeping accommodation or washing facilities with someone of the opposite sex.

The Trust provides same sex accommodation as a general principle:

  • All general wards have single sex bays and dedicated washing and toilet facilities
  • High dependency wards, the Intensive Care Unit and the Wiltshire Cardiac Centre have single room accommodation
  • The Acute Assessment Unit includes six single sex bays

Exceptions

In some rare circumstances, it may be necessary to treat patients in mixed sex accommodation - e.g. when they require urgent/emergency assessment and care.

When this happens, staff will take extra care to protect each patient's privacy and dignity, and the patient will be moved to same sex accommodation as soon as possible.

Exceptions are closely monitored by the Modern Matron and Chief Nurse.

Clinical need will always take priority and we will never turn a patient away because same sex accommodation is not immediately available.