Mind survey reveals sexual harassment on mixed-sex wards remains a major problem despite Government targets

Embargoed until: 00:01 Wednesday 24 April 2002

The Government is expecting to meet its target of phasing out mixed-sex accommodation in hospitals. So why are patients in psychiatric hospitals still subject to sexual harassment and abuse?

"We hear a lot of reports of sexual harassment and intimidation on the wards. Even when there are no specific incidents reported, you wonder about the appropriateness of mixing women who have often been abused with uninhibited men."
(Local Mind Group representative, South East)

Mind is calling on the Government for tighter guidelines and tougher implementation of current policy on mixed-sex wards in psychiatric hospitals in the light of a new survey which found that despite changes, over half of respondents still reported sexual harassment, abuse and even rape on psychiatric wards.

In Mind’s survey of local groups representing people with mental health problems:

• 55 per cent of respondents voiced concerns about the level of discomfort and intimidation experienced by women – and in some cases men – on mixed sex wards
• 18 per cent of respondents reported serious abuse or assault, and there were 3 reports of rapes
• only 21 per cent of respondents claimed that single-sex day areas were available, and 38 per cent reported mixed-sex washing and toilet facilities.

Government guidelines aim to phase out mixed-sex accommodation in 95 per cent of health trusts by the end of 2002. However, despite changes to regulations governing the building of new hospitals, overall conditions in existing wards could remain largely unchanged for the foreseeable future.

Mind’s chief executive, Richard Brook, said:
"Mind has been actively campaigning on the issue of mixed-sex hospital wards for the last decade, and evidence gathered by Mind and other organisations shows that the vast majority of women in need of acute psychiatric care would prefer the choice of single-sex services.

We believe that the Government’s guidelines don’t go far enough towards ensuring the safety and dignity of women and men.

We would like to see the Government test the quality of its own reforms by carrying out an urgent audit of the opinions of service users."

Other concerns raised in Mind’s survey were:

• inadequate numbers of staff, or inadequate staff procedures to deal with complaints or enforce single-sex areas
• lack of privacy in washing and toilet facilities
• lack of sensitivity to minority cultural and religious requirements for the separation of men and women
• general domination of day areas by male patients.

Mind is calling for:

• current guidelines on separate washing and toilet facilities to be implemented
• access to women-only space during the day
• Access to toilets and washing facilities without having to pass through mixed-sex areas
• improved practice within wards to protect patients, train staff, monitor the operation of the guidelines, consult service users, investigate complaints of harassment or abuse and supervise vulnerable patients.

*** ENDS ***

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• Mixed-sex wards survey results from of 95 respondents to questionnaire distributed to 600 local Mind groups and local advocacy services across England and Wales.
  
• Breakdown of responses by region as follows:

  London 12 per cent

  South East 25 per cent

  South West 11 per cent

  West Midlands 12 per cent

  Trent and Yorkshire 10 per cent

  Wales 13 per cent

  North West 7 per cent

  North 10 per cent

• Am gyfweliadau yn yr iaith Gymraeg, cysylltwch â Rhian Thomas yn swyddfa’r wasg ar y rhif uchod