'U-turn' anger over mixed-sex wards

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Health minister Lord Darzi of Denham appeared to renege on Labour's 1997 manifesto promise to "work towards the elimination of mixed-sex wards".

He told peers that the Government was committed to providing single sex accommodation in hospitals, but not single sex wards.

"Our guidance requires the provision of single sex accommodation, not wards," he said. "This may mean single rooms or single sex bays within a mixed ward as well as single sex wards."

The Patients Association accused the Government of "throwing in the towel" on their manifesto pledge.

Spokeswoman Katherine Murphy said: "The Government has taken a U-turn on their promise to eliminate mixed sex wards.

"Ten years ago patients were told it would be possible, and it was a manifesto commitment.

"Now the ground rules may be changing but the problem is still there for patients of all ages who ask for nothing more than a safe NHS where 'dignity and respect is at the heart' - to quote Lord Darzi himself.

"Patients have no guarantee 10 years on that anyone will do anything to achieve this. This is throwing in the towel. If the NHS couldn't stick to the earlier commitment, why should patients believe anything will change with these new words?"

Lord Darzi said commitments the Government made in 1997 were met in 2002-2004, with 95% of patients in single sex accommodation.