News

Female psychiatric patients on mixed sex wards are still experiencing harassment, according to a new report.

The survey by City and Hackney Community Health Council of patients in Hackney, east London last year, supports a national survey carried out by Mind, where over half of respondents reported sexual harassment, abuse and even rape on psychiatric wards across England.

The latest study found that 22 of the 32 women questioned were unhappy being on mixed sex wards because of harassment from men and lack of privacy. The most common complaint was feeling unsafe at night and sometimes during the day.

It was conducted following concerns that the East London and the City Mental Health Trust has not made much progress on the issue of single sex accommodation and is not listening to the experiences of female patients.

Women in medium secure accommodation should be on a single sex ward or have their own designated day and night areas, and staff training should be provided in the care of women at night in mixed sex wards.

Mind is urging the government to introduce tighter guidelines and tougher implementation of current policy on mixed sex wards in psychiatric hospitals as they believe the existing guidelines do not go far enough towards ensuring the safety and dignity of female patients