Department of Health and Social Care
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Dramatic drop in patients staying in mixed sex accommodation
Reported mixed-sex breaches fall by 77 per cent since December 2010
Fewer patients now have to suffer the indignity of staying in mixed sex accommodation thanks to new rules introduced by the Government last year, according to new figures out today.
The figures show that reported breaches of mixed-sex accommodation rules in NHS hospitals has fallen dramatically – down by 77 per cent since December.
In April 2011, hospitals reported that 2,660 patients were placed in mixed-sex accommodation without any justification. This compares to 11,802 patients in December 2010, when monthly collection of mixed sex accommodation was introduced.
From this month, hospitals found in breach of rules will be fined £250 for each patient affected and each day that they stay in mixed sex accommodation. This will put patients first – where they belong in a modern NHS.
The data, published online at individual hospital level, shows that:
In April 2011, providers of NHS-funded healthcare reported 2,660 breaches of the MSA guidance compared to 5,446 for March 2011, a decrease of 51 per cent. Of the 166 Acute Trusts that submitted data, 59% reported zero breaches, compared to 52% in March 2011.
59 Acute Trusts who submitted breaches in March 2011 reported a reduction in the number of breaches in April 2011. These organisations reported 3,500 breaches fewer breaches than last month.
18 Acute Trusts reported an increase in breaches.
Commenting on the statistics published today, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:
“Mixed sex accommodation has no place in a modern NHS that puts patients first. Greater transparency has now driven unjustified mixed sex accommodation down by over three quarters since December. But there are still too many breaches, which is why hospitals will now be fined £250 for every breach they make. This money will be reinvested back into patient care.
“We want to shine a spotlight on the quality of care provided to patients. Individual hospital trusts must explain why they break the rules and the public will be able to hold them to account. Our information revolution will take transparency in the NHS to a new level – patients will be able to vote with their feet and choose a hospital with less mixed sex accommodation."
Notes to editors
1. A full statistical press notice, with further explanatory notes is available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/MixedSexAccommodation/index.htm
2. Hospital site-level data is also available on the NHS Choices website (www.nhs.uk).
3. A breach of the policy occurs each time an admitted patient is placed in MSA outside the terms of the policy, i.e. it is not in their overall best interests and/or does not reflect their personal choice.
4. Central reporting covers MSA breaches in respect of sleeping accommodation only. The NHS is also required to monitor locally all mixed-sex sharing of bathroom / toilet facilities (including passing through accommodation or toilet/bathroom facilities used by the opposite gender), and all mixed provision of day space in mental health units at a local level.
5. These figures have been reported directly by provider organisations and will now be scrutinised by PCTs to ensure that mixing genuinely takes place only when it is in the patient's best interests.
6. Background on fines for the NHS regarding Mixed Sex Accommodation
Fines are set through the contracts between commissioning (PCTs) and provider organisations (acute, community and mental health trusts). Prior to June 2010, the contract requirements stipulated that any breaches would incur a fine however short the breach, equivalent to the cost of the service or treatment for the procedure in question - for example, a patient in hospital for a hip operation would incur a fine of £5600, but a patient in hospital for a hernia operation, would incur a fine of £959. Under this system fines could varying dramatically and there is little evidence of them being applied where breaches occurred.
In the period from August to January, the Department worked to strengthen the system within the current contract, so that commissioners would have the discretion on the level of fine they could impose to take into account for example the length of time of the breach - strengthening the system by ensuring there were no longer excuses for more proportionate fines not being applied.
The new contract, which began in April 2011, will simplify and strengthen sanctions further - a flat rate of £250 per patient affected per day will be charged, as announced today. It will be kept under regular review to ensure it is fair and appropriate.
7. MSA breach rate indicator
The MSA breach rate is the number of breaches of mixed-sex accommodation sleeping accommodation per 1,000 Finished Consultant Episodes.
An MSA breach rate indicator was developed because a simple count of the number of MSA breaches does not provide a fair comparison across healthcare providers. Raw numbers alone do not take into account the size of an organisation and it would be unfair to classify large acute providers as "worst performing” compared to other, smaller providers, as they handle larger volumes of admitted patients and therefore the possibility of mixing patients is greater. The MSA breach rate indicator gives us the ability to compare healthcare providers with others, or to compare change over time. It can tell us how a provider is "performing” in relation to other similar organisations, or the national average, and whether they are improving or getting worse.
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk
