HUNDREDS of Hampshire hospital patients are being placed in mixed-sex wards, despite NHS trusts facing potentially steep fines.

New data from NHS England, revealed that 211 patients at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) were placed in mixed-sex wards in the twelve months to April 2018, with the trust now facing a bill of up to £52,750.

According to the new figures, 105 patients faced the same situation at hospitals in Winchester, Basingstoke and Andover over the 12-month period, with Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) having to pay up to £26,250.

This comes despite the NHS Constitution pledging that patients admitted to hospital will not have to share sleeping accommodation with patients of the opposite sex and have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

But while trusts blamed bed shortages and winter crisis, campaigners and patients groups said mixed-sex accommodation do not provide patients with the dignity they should expect.

Harry Dymond, chairman of Healthwatch Southampton, said the issue is regularly discussed with health bosses in the city.

And although he said the figure relating to UHS must be put into context of the 150,00 patients treated at the hospital in the city every year, he added: “Clearly, there are some instances where a breach is most unwelcome such as religious belief or for vulnerable patients, and the trust attempts never to breach in these circumstances. Healthwatch monitors the situation carefully. We are assured that when a breach occurs every effort is made to protect the privacy and dignity of the patient and when possible we confirm this.”

Most cases of patients placed in mixed-sex accommodation at the hospital in Southampton were recorded in November 2017, when 49 patients were placed in mixed-sex wards.

A spokesman for UHS said: “While we strive to minimise breaches, our priority is to care for all patients in an appropriate environment for their medical need and, as one of the country’s largest acute hospital trusts, there will be occasions when the volume of emergency admissions we see means we have to make short-term alternative arrangements in the interests of patient safety.”

Following rules introduced in April 2011, hospital trusts face a £250 fine every time a patient is placed in a mixed-sex ward.

Breaches of the rules cover any instance in which a patient is admitted and placed on a bed or trolley, even if they do not spend the night at the hospital.

But due to the winter crisis that hit hospitals this year, the rules were relaxed in January and re-introduced in February.