Single-sex ward rule broken nearly 50,000 times last year

Posed by models. Credit: Getty/SolStock

By Jane Kirby and Andrew Dowdeswell, PA Media

NHS trusts across England broke a rule preventing patients of different sexes from being treated on the same ward nearly 50,000 times last year, new figures show.

The total number of breaches has soared since the COVID-19 pandemic, with a charity saying it is unacceptable that patient dignity and privacy is compromised.