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Inquiry into Provision of Public Toilets
Summary
ˇ Standard accessible (disabled) toilets do not meet the needs of thousands of disabled people who need assistance to use the toilet. ˇ A lack of suitable accessible facilities puts people's health at risk and leaves them socially excluded. ˇ The solution is public Changing Places toilets, which provide a height-adjustable adult-sized changing bench, a hoist and plenty of space. ˇ Many thousands of people living in the UK today need Changing Places toilets, including 40,000 with profound and multiple learning disabilities. ˇ Current levels of provision of Changing Places toilets in the UK are woefully small. ˇ Changing Places toilets change lives. ˇ Public Changing Places toilets urgently need to be provided in all big public places.
Introduction
The Changing Places Consortium is a group of organisations working to support the rights of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities to access their community. The Changing Places Consortium is campaigning for Changing Places toilets to be installed in big public places.
The members of the consortium are: Centre for Accessible Environments, Mencap, PAMIS, Nottingham City Council, Dumfries & Galloway Council, Valuing People Support Team and the Scottish Government.
The Changing Places Consortium welcomes the opportunity to respond to this inquiry. Our response will concentrate on the need for public toilets in relation to meeting the access needs of profoundly disabled people and their families.
Response
1. Standard accessible (disabled) toilets do not meet the needs of thousands of disabled people who need assistance to use the toilet. Thousands of disabled people need support from one or two carers to use the toilet or to have their continence pad changed. This means that they need a height-adjustable adult-sized changing bench where a carer can safely change their continence pad. They need a hoist so they can be helped to transfer safely from their wheelchair to the toilet or changing bench. They need a peninsular toilet so they can be supported by a carer on either side. And they need a facility which is big enough for them, their wheelchair when they are not in it and up to two carers. Standard accessible toilets do not provide changing benches or hoists. Most are too small to accommodate more than one person.
2. A lack of suitable accessible facilities puts people's health at risk and leaves them socially excluded. Without suitable accessible public toilets, many disabled people and their families are only able to make short trips or are simply forced to stay at home. Others have to risk their health and safety by changing a disabled person on a public toilet floor. This is dangerous, unhygienic and undignified. It is now accepted and expected that everyone has a right to live in the community, to move around within it and to access all its facilities. Government policy promotes the idea of 'community participation' and 'active citizenship', but for some disabled people the lack of a fully accessible toilet is denying them this right.
3. The solution is public Changing Places toilets. Changing Places toilets are different to standard disabled toilets. They provide: ˇ The right equipment - a height-adjustable adult-sized changing bench - a tracking hoist system, or mobile hoist if this is not possible. ˇ Enough space - adequate space in the changing area for the disabled person and up to two carers - a centrally placed toilet with room either side for the carers - a screen or curtain to allow the disabled person and carer some privacy. ˇ A safe and clean environment - wide tear off paper roll to cover the bench - a large waste bin for disposable pads - a non-slip floor. Changing Places toilets should be provided in addition to standard accessible (disabled) toilets.
4. Demand for Changing Places toilets. Many thousands of people living in the UK today need Changing Places toilets. The UK is home to approximately 40,000 people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, the majority of whom need Changing Places toilets. Their families and carers also need Changing Places toilets so they can go out in the community with their son or daughter, other family members and friends. Many other people also have similar needs. For example, we know that in the UK the number of people who would benefit from a Changing Places toilet include approximately: - 24,000 people with a spinal injury - 20,000 people with muscular dystrophy - 8,500 people with multiple sclerosis - 2,000 people with an acquired brain injury. And the number of people with complex disabilities is growing - we are all living longer, meaning many more people are likely to need access to a Changing Places toilet in the future.
5. Current levels of provision of Changing Places toilets in the UK. There are currently approximately 50 public Changing Places toilets in the UK. These are in a range of venues including shopping centres, leisure complexes and city centres. Full details can be found at www.changing-places.org/where.asp Several of the Changing Places toilets are provided in public toilet blocks, including Market Square in Nottingham, Briar Way in Skegness, the Windmill Gardens in Dundee and Victoria Embankment Gardens in Westminster. A number of local authorities have recognised and embraced the need to provide Changing Places toilets, including Nottingham City Council, Westminster City Council and Bradford Metropolitan District Council. But the number of Changing Places toilets in the UK is woefully inadequate and falls far short of meeting the needs of the most severely disabled people and their families in the UK.
6. Changing Places toilets change lives.
Lowri has profound and multiple learning disabilities due to Rett syndrome. She is a wheelchair user with no independent mobility and needs complete 24-hour support with all aspects of her care. Lowri wears continence pads which need to be changed in a Changing Places toilet, like the one in Nottingham. The facility provides a height adjustable changing bench where Lowri can be comfortably laid down, a hoist to allow her to be lifted from her wheelchair on to the bed, and plenty of space.
As Bethan explains, this is a far cry from the family's usual experiences: "Without Changing Places toilets it is a nightmare. We try to plan our days around being home for mealtimes because Lowri needs to go to the toilet, meaning we can only spend a few hours away from home. We have a large mat which we carry around in case we have to change her when we are out. We put this down on the floor of 'disabled' loos and just muddle through - we have countless experiences at eye level of disgusting toilet floors." Bethan's family, like many thousands of other families in the UK, is now desperately hoping that other councils and businesses will begin to provide Changing Places toilets.
7. Public Changing Places toilets urgently need to be provided in all big public places to allow disabled people and their families full access to their communities as citizens, tourists and workers. The Government should encourage local authorities to lead by example, by providing Changing Places toilets in their communities.
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