dignity and single sex wards

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well nursing is in the media again

for lack of dignity, lack of care to a patients fundemental needs.

and while most nursing care is good some isn't if you are frailer.

What draws my attention is single sex ward issues, what do patients mean by single sex my home trust has none, bar maernity/gyn wards

Even old nigthingale wards have been converted into bays that are single sex.

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Specializes in medical.

very true. theres some wards at my placement hospital where the women and men are down different corridors so i guess you could call them single sex wards. but of course on nightingale wards thats not always possible, and i think the National Service Framework planned to to eradicate nightingale wards. They also wanted emphasis on single sex toilets, which I've not always seen on wards.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

The hospital I did my training in 86 had single sex wards and it was great, then they went mixed although bays were single sex but it wasn't the same. I much prefer single sex wards, Dignity and privacy was easier to maintain and each sex didn't become as upset when confused patients exposed themselves unintentionally and more tolerant than they are when the wards as mixed

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The hospital I did my training in 86 had single sex wards and it was great, then they went mixed although bays were single sex but it wasn't the same

I seem to remember that during the 80s there were issues with single sex wards and nurse training i.e. as a student you couldn't be placed on a single sex ward as it wasn't deemed appropriate to have experience of looking after just women or men. Thus wards were merged. I could be making this up though.

The US experience of complete single/private rooms on floors/ward is interesting and has it's issues IMO.

Cheers

OG

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
I seem to remember that during the 80s there were issues with single sex wards and nurse training i.e. as a student you couldn't be placed on a single sex ward as it wasn't deemed appropriate to have experience of looking after just women or men. Thus wards were merged. I could be making this up though.

The US experience of complete single/private rooms on floors/ward is interesting and has it's issues IMO.

Cheers

OG

Didn't hear that. The way my training was set out we did 2 medical wards and 2 surgical wards over the 2 years (did EN training initially) we did 1 male/female ward and then changed the next time to the opposite. I think the reason my hospital at the time went mixed was more to do with needing the beds and to try and spread the workload as some wards was complaining about being heavy when the ward opposite was not.

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Didn't hear that. The way my training was set out we did 2 medical wards and 2 surgical wards over the 2 years (did EN training initially) we did 1 male/female ward and then changed the next time to the opposite. I think the reason my hospital at the time went mixed was more to do with needing the beds and to try and spread the workload as some wards was complaining about being heavy when the ward opposite was not.

I agree. Without doubt the need to spread the load was the main reason. We had a male and female Ortho ward; they were mixed during my training so that students would not be disadvantaged by just looking after thirty 90 year old fractured necks of femur when others were 'enjoying' the company of young male trauma victims - may have been a Welsh National Board thing, but I could see the point.

Cheers

OG

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i sometimes thinks its because there is a greatar need for female beds my first hosptial still had unisex wards and had a times turn a bay/siderooms over to female patients. which the staff seemed to hate, why do nurses dislike female patients i've found both sexes can be equally good and bad to care for.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
i sometimes thinks its because there is a greatar need for female beds my first hosptial still had unisex wards and had a times turn a bay/siderooms over to female patients. which the staff seemed to hate, why do nurses dislike female patients i've found both sexes can be equally good and bad to care for.

My experience many years ago (I feel old :D) with single sex wards was women were so miserable to nurse, men you could usually have a laugh and a giggle. The first year I qualified I worked night duty regularly and was working over Christmas on a female ward (single sex still existed at that time) and we only had 8 patients (them were the days :)) and 7am went round to give medications before day staff arrived and wished everyone a merry Christmas and not one wished it back. Don't get me wrong I know it isn't nice being in hospital over Christmas but the ward just felt so miserable where as the opposite ward, which was male and had as many patients, everyone was wishing everyone a merry Christmas and was a bit jolly.

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