Patients would no more have to share wards as the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley plans to put an end to the operation of mixed accommodation. The announcement regarding this is expected this week itself.

Reports say that Dame Christine Beasley, the Chief Nursing Officer, has been asked by Lansley to figure out what are the steps taken to ensure that both the sexes are not made to share the same facility by visiting all hospital trusts which still contain mixed sex wards.

Mixed accommodation would be allowed only in intensive care units, accident and emergency care.

Two years back there was a promise made by the Labour government that mixed accommodation will be ended but gave up on it stating that it was an aspiration that cannot be met.

Presently out of 10 patients, one is admitted to a mixed sex ward, while a third are forced to share bathrooms.

To bring an end to ‘undignified’ mixed wards where women have often been subject to assault, patient charities have campaigned for years.

Lansley said, “In a modern health service it is not acceptable for patients to be denied the privacy of single sex wards.”