KGH secures Government funding to improve same-sex accommodation  Date: 06.05.09

The Trust has been awarded £710,000 from the Government’s Privacy and Dignity Fund to improve accommodation in its medical assessment unit and make improvements to information, signs, and modesty arrangements around the Trust.

The award has been welcomed by Director of Nursing and Quality, Liz Libiszewski, who said it will complement the Trust’s existing £20m ward improvement programme  (launched in January 2008) which is already improving accommodation arrangements.

She said: “We are delighted to have been successful in securing some of the national investment to improve same-sex accommodation arrangements in the NHS.

“Like most Trusts in the country Kettering General Hospital is progressively improving its same-sex facilities and privacy arrangements.

 “Whilst our staff are doing a very good job in maintaining people’s privacy and dignity we do know that some of our facilities are less than the modern ideal.

“One of these areas is our medical assessment unit – the Middleton Assessment Unit – where medical patients are assessed before being admitted to a hospital ward.

“While patients only stay on MAU for a short period of time (usually no more than 24hours) we want to improve accommodation in this area which currently consists of 28 beds arranged into two mixed sex bays of 12 and 16 beds.

“The new investment will enable us to do that by remodelling the department to create much smaller three and four bed bays with additional toilets and walk-in single sex shower rooms. This will enable us to provide same sex accommodation through these single sex bays.

“We are currently working up detailed plans on how best to do the remodelling and hope to start work within the next few weeks. “

Links