Privacy and Dignity

We promise the people of Croydon we will do our best to ensure you feel cared for by helpful and welcoming staff who respect you as an individual and you feel it's getting better all the time as we improve our services.

Single sex (or gender) accommodation

The majority of our wards have single sex bays and separate washing and toilet facilities for men and women.

For clinical reasons, there may be occasions when patients are cared for in mixed sex environment so that their healthcare needs can be met. While they are in a mixed sex area our staff will ensure that their privacy and dignity is respected at all times. 

Patients are moved to a same sex area as soon as possible. 

In the Medical Assessment Unit the sexes are separate but in 2009 we created an additional area which can be either male or female so we have the flexibility to cope with increased admissions of one sex or another. Patients in this area have access to showers and toilets which are designated male and female. 

The Trust has also carried out building work to increase the privacy for patients in all bays in the treatment area and observation beds in the Accident and Emergency department by replacing curtains with cubicles. 

There are 65 single rooms at the hospital (not including those on the maternity and children’s wards) which may be available for NHS patients who need additional privacy. 46 of these rooms have an ensuite toilet and shower or bath and a further seven have an ensuite toilet.   

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust is pleased to confirm that we are compliant with the Government’s requirement to eliminate mixed-sex accommodation, except when it is in the patient’s overall best interest, or reflects their personal choice. 

We have the necessary facilities, resources and culture to ensure that patients who are admitted to our hospitals will only share the room where they sleep with members of the same sex, and same-sex toilets and bathrooms will be close to their bed area. 

Sharing with members of the opposite sex will only happen when clinically necessary (for example where patients need specialist equipment such as in the Intensive Care Unit). 

If our care should fall short of the required standard, we will report it. We will also set up an audit mechanism to make sure that we do not misclassify any of our reports.

Declaration approved by Trust Board 26 March 2012