Department of Health announcement is a first step towards improved patient safety

Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said:

"Mind has been highlighting the problem of unsafe wards for a long time. We are glad that moves are now being made towards better inpatient safety.

We look forward to working with the Department on its guidance on improving sexual safety. Patients have to believe that it is worth making a complaint and that they will be taken seriously. Too often this isn’t the case, and patients feel ignored or intimidated. This can only be addressed by creating a comprehensive and accessible reporting system, accompanied by a culture of respect for all patients and intolerance of harassment and abuse.

The eradication of mixed-sex wards must be an absolute priority. This is long-overdue and would go some way to reducing fear and intimidation among patients.

While it is positive that the Department of Health has recognised the importance of designing wards to enhance safety, we hope that this re-allocation of money pledged last year won’t compromise other capital projects to improve our dilapidated mental healthcare buildings."