Concerns are mounting over plans for new NHS hospitals to exclusively feature single-occupancy rooms, as MPs caution this could lead to elderly patients experiencing isolation and neglect.
The government aims to construct 46 new hospitals with a budget of £60 billion, utilizing a standardized design intended to enhance construction and operational efficiency.
This modern approach, dubbed Hospital 2.0, is designed to streamline hospital operations with features like reduced walking distances for staff, digital record-keeping, and advanced technologies such as infrared sensors for immediate alerts in case of patient falls.
However, a recent report from the Commons Public Accounts Committee criticizes the Department of Health and Social Care for not adequately addressing potential downsides of this design strategy.
The new layout means nurses will no longer have direct oversight of multiple patients within a single ward, instead depending on remote monitoring, which could leave at-risk individuals feeling ‘alienated.’
Additionally, the report suggests that ward rounds may become more labor-intensive and time-consuming, possibly necessitating increased staffing and incurring higher costs.
Patient groups last night expressed fears that ‘out of sight’ could become ‘out of mind’, with elderly people in single rooms left to weaken in their beds with no opportunity to walk or socialise.
The PAC report says: ‘A key aspect of the design is that wards will consist of solely single bedrooms.
The Commons Public Accounts Committee said the Department of Health and Social Care has ‘lacked focus’ on the potential drawbacks of the new hospital designs
‘The Department expects single bedrooms to lead to efficiencies such as fewer hospital acquired infections and shorter hospital stays for patients.
‘However, some research has indicated that the clinical and economic impact of single bedrooms may be modest.
‘The Department has not clearly explained what metrics it will use to assess whether it is realising benefits, nor has it sufficiently focused on unexpected downsides of 100 per cent single bedroom wards.
‘For example, some patients, particularly those that are frailer or more vulnerable, may feel alienated being alone and monitored remotely.
‘The Department acknowledges that the new hospitals may incur more staff costs until new ways of working are embedded.’
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, told the Daily Mail: ‘Single rooms may be quiet havens away from the hustle and bustle of a hospital ward, but ‘out of sight’ may also mean ‘out of mind’, resulting in older people being stuck on their own in bed for too long, depriving them of the benefits of seeing and socialising with others, and of walking about to help retain their strength and fitness.
‘At Age UK we think the best approach to hospital design is one that incorporates both wards and single rooms for older people, to enable individual needs to be better met.
‘Getting the balance right really matters too, since older people already comprise the majority of patients in most hospitals and an ageing population means this is set to continue.’
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said ‘out of sight’ may also mean ‘out of mind’.
Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, which also campaigns for elderly people, said: ‘Patients should really be given a choice whether they want to be treated on an open ward or a single room.
‘However, I imagine many elderly people would jump at the chance to have their own room, so they can be treated with privacy, rather than behind a thin curtain.’
The New Hospitals Programme is already delayed and MPs say this has ‘major implications’ for plans to replace seven hospitals with crumbling aerated concrete.
These hospitals will not be replaced until 2032/33, which is up to three years later than the latest possible safe date stated in a 2022 independent report.
Although the Department of Health and Social Care’s recent advice is these hospitals can remain open past 2030, ensuring they are safe for hospitals and staff is now expected to cost £1billion and there ‘remains a risk of serious deterioration’.
The cross-party committee of MPs says: ‘While unavoidable at this point, such reactive spending does not represent good value for money.’
Members express concerns that the plan involves building bigger hospitals at a time when the government has indicated it wants to shift more care into communities and they question the ability of officials to manage such a large project.
‘The Department has not yet demonstrated that it has the capacity and capability to manage such a large and complex programme, which has carried staffing gaps for several years,’ the Committee writes.
‘The programme has many characteristics of a ‘mega-project’ and requires strong governance arrangements to reflect this, including appropriate involvement from HM Treasury.’
An NHS source said patients can leave their single occupancy rooms and socialise with others in communal lounges, which will be present on all wards in the new hospitals.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘This government has put the New Hospital Programme on a stable long-term footing after inheriting a plan and timetable that were undeliverable, but we are not complacent about the challenges that remain.
‘Single‑room wards are designed to reduce infection and improve dignity and privacy for patients. The evidence suggests they can reduce length of stay and support safe occupancy levels.
‘For frail and vulnerable people, hospitals will allow patients to have a guest stay overnight.’
