Changing Places Toilets

An update on the state of Changing Places Toilets in the UK by our customer Hannah

There's 250,000 people in the UK that, like me, cannot use standard accessible "disabled" toilets. To date there are 1771 Changing Places Toilets throughout the UK, which are toilets with a ceiling hoist, as well as a full sized changing table for those with continence needs. This allows people with complex needs to access their local communities, as well as leisure spaces and travel. However there are many areas without any Changing Places toilets nearby, especially within the Sussex area. Without these facilities, I either dehydrate myself so I don't need the toilet (risking major health complications) or I have to plan and reduce my time out and about to return home to use the toilet. There's recently been a government funding scheme for Changing Places toilets installed by local councils - Lewes and Newhaven were successful in their applications, so finally I will have a toilet I can use in those towns soon! Hurrah!

However, when it comes to staying away from home, it's a far worse story. There are just 17 hotels that have an accessible room with a ceiling hoist, 7 of which are in London. It means I have to travel a long way to do visiting family in Hampshire as a day trip. I travel for 8 hours just to see my 18 month old nephew for 4 hours, which is exhausting and I can't manage it very often due to the debilitating fatigue it causes for the week afterwards. I'd far rather split the journey and stay overnight nearby, but that's just not possible without suitable accommodation. I've not been able to visit my late fiancé's grave in Yorkshire, as there are no suitable hotels within 75 miles. There are some self-catering holiday homes with ceiling hoists in the UK, but these are often designed for large groups and week-long stays, so come with a hefty price tag.

I'm fortunate that in my home I have a ceiling hoist that I can use independently, as well as my wonderful Bluebird carers who help me with most aspects of daily living, so I can live well with the best quality of life my disability allows. It's so frustrating to then feel I'm stuck at home because there's not the facilities to manage when out and about. I was on ITV Meridian news on 31st October talking about the issue of lack of hoists in hotels as it's something that impacts my life enormously.

Hotels are missing out on a huge amount of business by not catering to this 250,000 customers. If just one large hotel chain made a commitment to put 1 hoist room in each of their hotels, suddenly the country would open out to me again. Certainly all new hotels should be thinking of putting in a hoist room when building new premises, and councils should be encouraging this with their planning permission guidelines too.

By Hannah

Picture - the author Hannah