RCN responds to mixed-sex wards report
Published: 09 January 2009
Commenting on a study by the Conservative Party indicating that many hospitals continue to use mixed-sex facilities, Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, said:
"While we recognise that delivering single sex wards across the NHS is no mean feat, it is of great concern that so many hospitals are still using mixed sex facilities, despite the Government’s repeated pledge to abolish them.
"The RCN has been calling on the government to deal with this for over a decade now, yet not enough action has been taken. We know that nurses and all healthcare staff want to provide high quality dignified care but mixed sex wards are a major obstacle in the way. If they're serious about raising standards of care, then this issue must be addressed by government as a matter of urgency. A failure to do so will be a continuing impediment to providing the standard of care patients and their relatives expect"
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Notes for Editors
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Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.