FOI reveals assaults on mixed wards
Updated on 21 May 2009
New research reveals nearly two thirds of sexual assaults in hospitals happen in units where there are mixed wards.
Freedom of information requests submitted to all NHS hospital trusts in England by More 4 News found 21 of the 33 attacks took place in hospitals where men and women are treated together, despite government promises to scrap mixed wards.
The questions asked
More4 News sent the below Freedom of Information request to every acute trust in England, asking them to disclose:
The number of sexual assaults against patients in hospitals in
your hospital trust in the year 2007/8?
The number of these assaults that were perpetrated by other
patients in the year 2007/8?
The number of these assaults there were perpetrated by a
member of staff in the year 2007/8?
The number of these assaults that were incidences of rape in
the year 2007/8?
The number of these assaults that took place in mixed sex
wards in the year 2007/8?
The results
In total 151 trusts responded and told us that, 41 hospital patients were sexually assaulted.
Out of that number, 8 were carried out by staff, but 33 were by other patients.
And their means of access to their victims meant that out of 33 attacks, 21 actually took place on mixed sex wards.
North Bristol NHS Trust had the highest number of assaults on mixed sex wards. They reported eight cases where patients were sexually assaulted by other patients.
You can watch the full report tonight on More4 News at 8pm.
