Privacy and Dignity – Same Sex Accommodation

Safeguarding privacy and dignity remains one of the key priorities for NHS Kirklees. As commissioners, we remain committed to ensuring the services we commission deliver safe, high quality care for our community and respect the privacy and dignity of the people we serve.

This includes making sure that all services provide care that meets the principles of delivering same sex accommodation, which are:

  • There are no exemptions from the need to provide high standards of privacy and dignity
  • Men and women should not have to sleep in the same room, unless sharing can be justified by the need for treatment, or by patient/service user choice
  • Men and women should not have to share mixed bathing and WC facilities, unless they need specialised equipment such as hoist or specialist baths
  • Patients/service users should not have to pass directly through opposite-sex areas to reach their own facilities In some circumstances, mixing of the sexes can be justified
  • Decisions should be based on the needs of each individual patient/service user, not the constraints of the environment or the convenience of staff
  • Where mixing of sexes does occur, it must be acceptable and appropriate for all the patients/service users affected.

To ensure this happens we will continue to work with our partners including Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust, Mid Yorkshire Hospitals trust and primary care trust provider services. We have monitored and received assurances from each trust and primary care trust provider that they remain compliant with all the standards.  The aim of this is to eliminate patients sharing sleeping or sanitary accommodation with members of the opposite sex, unless justified.    

NHS Kirklees is able to declare that our directly provided services are 100% compliant with the above principles.  We have also ensured that our commissioned services have declared virtual compliance as required by the Department of Heath, and have published their declaration and sustainability plans on their websites.