So, a bit of a saga!
i had an appointment at the chest clinic at Kings College Hospital in London. I have no use of my legs and so use a sling and ceiling hoist to independently get on and off the toilet. I rang PALS to ask where a toilet with a ceiling hoist was situated. In the whole of the hospital there isn’t one (including the wards). I explained that this was what I needed and over the course of several conversations and her checking with the compliance and health and safety dept these were some of the questions/comments asked:
“What exactly is wrong with you?”
”Can’t your husband put you on the toilet?” (We are both 60!!!)
“We can get a mobile hoist, would that be any good?” “Yes please”
”Other people use pads” “I’m not at that stage yet”
”What time will you need the toilet?” !!!!!!!!!
I was finally told that it would be up to the individual clinic to make sure they had someone trained and available when i had my appointment.
The appointment was cancelled!! It was transferred to St Thomas’s. (Here we go again!)
I noticed that on their website they have a lovely picture of a new toilet. I asked the nurse on the Lane Fox clinic the same question - mentioning the picture. “The website is wrong - i would know if such a facility existed. I’m a physiotherapist. We have a mobile hoist but it won’t fit in the disabled toilet”
Phone call to PALS, no idea.
Passed on to housekeeping, no idea.
Passed on to main reception “I can see the toilet from here but I don’t know what it looks like inside”
Passed on to security, no answer!
Passed on to communications - BINGO! “Hello, I’m the press officer. I took the photos and I will send them to you”
So - for anyone who goes to St Thomas’s - they have a lovely new Changing Places toilet.
Next stop - harangue Kings hospital! Seeing as my parents little shopping centre in the West Midlands has one I think its high time they did too!!
i had an appointment at the chest clinic at Kings College Hospital in London. I have no use of my legs and so use a sling and ceiling hoist to independently get on and off the toilet. I rang PALS to ask where a toilet with a ceiling hoist was situated. In the whole of the hospital there isn’t one (including the wards). I explained that this was what I needed and over the course of several conversations and her checking with the compliance and health and safety dept these were some of the questions/comments asked:
“What exactly is wrong with you?”
”Can’t your husband put you on the toilet?” (We are both 60!!!)
“We can get a mobile hoist, would that be any good?” “Yes please”
”Other people use pads” “I’m not at that stage yet”
”What time will you need the toilet?” !!!!!!!!!
I was finally told that it would be up to the individual clinic to make sure they had someone trained and available when i had my appointment.
The appointment was cancelled!! It was transferred to St Thomas’s. (Here we go again!)
I noticed that on their website they have a lovely picture of a new toilet. I asked the nurse on the Lane Fox clinic the same question - mentioning the picture. “The website is wrong - i would know if such a facility existed. I’m a physiotherapist. We have a mobile hoist but it won’t fit in the disabled toilet”
Phone call to PALS, no idea.
Passed on to housekeeping, no idea.
Passed on to main reception “I can see the toilet from here but I don’t know what it looks like inside”
Passed on to security, no answer!
Passed on to communications - BINGO! “Hello, I’m the press officer. I took the photos and I will send them to you”
So - for anyone who goes to St Thomas’s - they have a lovely new Changing Places toilet.
Next stop - harangue Kings hospital! Seeing as my parents little shopping centre in the West Midlands has one I think its high time they did too!!
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