MEN and women had to share the same ward at Royal Bolton Hospital on 135 occasions last year.

The Government made it policy that hospitals had to eliminate mixed-sex accommodation by 2010/11 and the trust made changes to meet this in 2009.

Sharing with members of the opposite sex now only happens when clinically necessary, for example when patients need specialist equipment or have chosen to share.

Speaking at the annual members’ meeting, chairman David Wakefield said: “It is taboo to have same sex accommodation, to have males and females on the same ward.

“Last year we had 135 breaches, 135 times we had males and females together. 20 per cent of these were in one month, March.”

Mr Wakefield added that most of the breaches were in the critical care unit and when the patients were well enough to be moved they were then put on single sex wards.

The hospital spent £500,000 in 2009 reviewing and changing its wards.