FEWER patients are having to use same-sex bathrooms at Oxford hospitals, according to a new survey.

The Healthcare Commission found this was one of a number of improvements for patients at the Oxford Radcliffe hospitals compared to last year, with 92 per cent of patients rating the standard of care in these hospitals as "excellent, very good or good".

Thirty per cent of the patients surveyed at John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals in Oxford, and at the Horton Hospital in Banbury, spent their stay with patients of the opposite sex, a marginal improvement on the 31 per cent last year.

This score placed the trust 50th best out of 165 in terms of the fewest patients using mixed sex wards.

But only 39 per cent had to use mixed bath and shower rooms, a significant improvement compared to 51 per cent last year.

Jacqui Pearce-Gervis, chairman of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Patient Focus Group, said: "During recent years there have been major improvements in terms of patient satisfaction over the issue of mixed-sex wards.

"Now, although there are still some mixed-sex wards, there are more single-sex four-bed bays, and we are pushing for more single-sex bathrooms on the wards."

Dorothy Holloway, 60, of Wensric Drive, Minster Lovell, said she noticed an improvement when she was at the John Radcliffe for treatment for a stomach complaint in September.

She said: "There was a massive improvement compared to two years ago - there are still some mixed sex wards, but I was moved onto a four-bed women's bay as soon as possible.

"There were separate bathrooms for ladies and men, and the unisex bathroom had locks on the toilet doors, which was not the case when I stayed in 2003."

More than 76,000 adult patients at 165 acute and specialist NHS trusts in England took part in the Healthcare Commission poll, with 850 ORH patients quizzed, and 484 responding.

Helen Peggs, a spokesman for the ORH, said the number of male and female patients sharing a ward had dropped to 29 per cent, once A&E and critical care wards had been taken out of the equation.

She added: "We are delighted that we have made such progress in improving our accommodation, so that fewer patients have to stay in a ward with both male and female bays.

"This includes planning our new buildings with far more single rooms, and refurbishing our older wards.

"For example, last year we refurbished and reorganised our general medical wards at the John Radcliffe Hospital, so that they are now single sex."

The trust was among the top 20 per cent for 16 other areas, including information given to patients about their care, whether or not they were treated with dignity and afforded privacy, and whether they witnessed nurses washing their hands.

The trust received higher scores compared with last year for 40 indicators. In particular, scores for cleanliness have risen year on year, as have the percentage of patients who were cared for in single sex accommodation.

However only just over half rated the food as good or very good.

The survey results also showed, however, that the number of patients experiencing a delay before they are discharged from hospital has not reduced, although the way in which the discharge process is handled for patients has improved.

NOC RESULTS Nearly nine out of ten patients - 87 per cent - receiving treatment at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington rated their care as excellent or very good.

Highlights for the NOC included:

  • Third best nationally for providing separate single sex accommodation - 96 per cent.
  • 87 per cent of patients said they were always treated with dignity and respect.

Trust chief executive Jan Fowler said: "We are delighted with the results which clearly reflect the efforts and excellence of our staff. Most of our patients gave the care they received the highest possible rating.

"The figures also reflect the fact that our new wards have been designed to maximise privacy and dignity and that they are cleaned to a high standard."