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Your support makes all the difference.The Government is "rattled" over its failure to scrap mixed-sex hospital wards, a leaked memo has revealed.
In the document, Health Secretary Alan Johnson says Labour has "got it wrong" over the practice, which the party has repeatedly promised to eradicate.
Mr Johnson is quoted as saying: "Sane and rational arguments about why it can't be done no longer cut it with me, it's going to happen."
The memo was prepared by a senior NHS manager following a meeting earlier this month, and suggests ministers are now gearing up to act.
The manager wrote: "There is no doubt that the Tories have rattled Labour over the failure to meet promise of ending mixed sex accommodation.
"Expect a revised definition that simply makes it clear that men and women and children and adults will no longer share the same accommodation. Everything is included in that definition, except accident and emergency."
Mr Johnson is expected to unveil a new initiative on the issue next week.
Last month data from the Conservatives revealed that around one in seven of hospital trusts still used at least one open-plan mixed-sex ward. Curtains were still being used to segregate patients in some areas, it was found.
The data also showed that between October 2007 and September 2008 there were 6,485 recorded breaches of procedures for segregating patients by sex in hospital trusts and 30 in mental health trusts.
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said of the leaked memo: "This is a stark admission of failure from Labour. Frankly it is a scandal that they have done nothing about mixed-sex wards except make repeated empty promises.
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