THOUSANDS of pounds have been given to Devon health officials to help eliminate mixed-sex hospital accommodation.

They will use the money to ensure men and women in hospitals no longer share sleeping areas, bathrooms or toilets while being cared for.

Devon Primary Care Trust has until June to spend £160,000 on turning its hospitals into single-sex accommodation.

And the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital has been given £270,000 to increase its single-sex facilities. The Devon Partnership Trust has been given £138,500 to make the changes.

Health secretary Alan Johnson announced that mixed-sex accommodation was no longer appropriate and from next year trusts still using such accommodation would be financially penalised.

Jane Viner, the RD&E’s deputy director of nursing and patient care, said: “Across the hospital, with 797 inpatient beds, we are committed to enhancing privacy and dignity by providing single-sex inpatient accommodation by 2010.

“Exceptions to this are specialised emergency areas such as the coronary care and intensive care units.”

The RD&E will be using £270,000 from the South West Strategic Health Authority to create more side rooms in the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Centre and to increase the number of single sex bays in the emergency medical unit. The PCT said it had to make changes to four of its community hospitals to meet the Government’s demands.

Changes will have to be made to Whipton, Axminster, Totnes and Tavistock hospitals.

Pat McDonagh, assistant director for business support, said: “There is already ongoing work at Axminster and Totnes hospitals so it makes sense to upgrade their facilities while there are no inpatients in the wards. We are also looking at what work needs to be carried out at Tavistock and Whipton.”

The PCT has started work at Totnes community hospital, and the work is expected to be finished in six weeks.

The PCT’s Sharon Scoging said: “The work will help us achieve a much better environment in terms of privacy and dignity for our patients.To ensure inpatients are not adversely affected by the noise, they will continue to be cared for at Newton Abbot hospital or in community settings.”

Alison Moores, executive nurse at Devon Partnership Trust,  said work had to be done there as well.

“Like other trusts across the county, we have a plan  to make improvements to our units that will meet the requirements set out by the Department of Health, by the end of June,” she said.

“We are fortunate most of our facilities are modern and most of the work is around the provision of separate bathrooms and toilets and making adjustments to the interior design of our units where necessary.”