There are calls for an end to mixed-gender hospital rooms amid reports of safety concerns and other incidents.
It comes after University of Otago researcher Cindy Towns yesterday said mixed-gender rooms can be "unsafe", particularly for women.
"Unfortunately, there have been numerous incidents of intrusion, indecent exposure and even assault," she said.
Te Whatu Ora said: "Patient safety is of paramount importance to Te Whatu Ora, as is the protection of patient privacy and dignity. We share the researchers' desire to ensure that patients are safe and would welcome the opportunity to discuss the research further."
Ally Attwell and her daughter Tarryn told Breakfast this morning they'd spent about 190 days in hospital since the end of last year.
"Most of that time, we've been in mixed-gender rooms," Ally said. "You've got to remember, when you're in hospital, patients are unwell and so quite often they're not always thinking the same as they would if they were out in the community.
"I remember being in a room and across from us, there was a gentleman who was only dressed from top up and he wouldn't put a blanket over him – the nurses tried to get a blanket over him – and he wouldn't put the curtain round, he wanted it open.
"It just wasn't appropriate to have a young 23-year-old woman in a room with an older gentleman who refused to cover up."
She added the curtains in hospital rooms are thin and can easily open accidentally.
"Then we had another gentleman who, you were sitting in the room and next minute you hear him peeing on the floor," Ally said.
"And it's not their fault, they're not well, but it's not OK to have women having to feel like that in that place."
Ally said she never left Tarryn alone in a hospital room.
Luxon 'very supportive' of single-gender rooms idea
Later on Breakfast, National Party leader Christopher Luxon said he personally thought men and women should be put into separate gendered hospital rooms. However, the party's major focus in health at the moment is recruiting doctors and nurses, he said.
"I'm very supportive of it but our must-do priority right now when we have a healthcare system is workforce, it's targets, and it's making sure the funding gets from the back office to the front line."
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