UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has reminded the National Health Services and trusts to ensure the protection of women’s privacy after a Daily Mail report revealed that patients who “temporarily” identify as women can shares female-only hospital wards.

A statement from the PM’s spokesperson termed the protection of women ‘crucially important’ in public spaces and said the NHS had spoken to trusts about their responsibilities.

The development came after a major audit by Daily Mail revealed that transgender women can use the facilities they wish, regardless of whether they have had surgery for gender change.

The Mail further mentioned that many hospitals made it clear that patients need only “temporarily” present as women to enter female-only bays and bathrooms. But the campaigners have described it as the “mockery” of strict rules regarding the placing of men and women in neighbouring beds.

Responding to Daily Mail, the prime minister’s spokesperson said: “NHS, England’s government and its minister have been extremely clear about ensuring that women’s rights to privacy, particularly at such vulnerable times are protected – that is crucially important.”

The spokesperson added: “I believe there has been an understanding that protecting women’s privacy is vitally important, but of course, we would expect the trusts and NHS England to make sure they are taking the appropriate action.”