Crofton Lib Dems have asked Fareham Council to look at providing Changing Places Toilet for the most servilely disabled residents.

A young child, if they are small enough, can be changed in a baby changing facilities, but a child of 5, or older, would be too big. Also, adults need help with say hoisting out of a wheelchair – that is another reason for a changing place toilet – so that it helps the carer not have to try and lift someone out of a wheelchair.

‘Changing Places Changing Lives’ is a national campaign calling for Changing Places toilets – with a hoist, changing bench and plenty of space ­– to be installed in big public places throughout the UK.

A local resident with a disabled daughter is concern that there is only one toilet available in the whole of Fareham and Gosport. This means if they want to go out the house they have to lie her daughter on the public toilet floor with not suitable clean place available.

Standard accessible toilets do not meet the needs of many thousands of disabled people in the UK. Without Changing Places toilets, carers are often forced to change severely disabled family members on a dirty toilet floor. This is dangerous, unhygienic and undignified. However the alternative is to limit outings to a couple of hours or to not go out at all.

Changing Places toilets are needed by people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, and others who have a disability or condition that means they need personal support to manage their continence. This includes people who have had a severe stroke and people with muscular dystrophy.

The Changing Places campaign – which is being run by a group of organisations – want Changing Places toilets to be installed in all big public places, including city centres, shopping centres, arts venues, hospitals, motorway services stations, leisure complexes, large railway stations and airports.

• To find out more about the campaign and how to get involved visit changing-places.org
• To find your nearest Changing Places toilet visit http://changingplaces.uktoiletmap.org/

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The email below from a Hill Head resident about the provision of adult changing places toilets in the Fareham area. (We have changed Ellie’s name).

“After receiving your Stubbington and Hill Head newsletter, I wanted to contact you about the lack of Changing Places toilets in the area. My 3 year old daughter, Ellie, is disabled. Currently she is small enough to be able to change her using the baby changing facilities widely available. However, soon she will be too big to do so and the only option we will have would be to lie her on the dirty toilet floor or go home. We love getting out and about as a family and feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful area. Ellie loves our walks along the beach and shopping in the village. As she grows we want to continue to be able to get out and about.

There are disabled toilets in Fareham but you need to be able to independently use a toilet for them to be of any use. Changing places toilets have an adult sized Changing table and hoist. Many of the current disabled toilets are large enough to install these facilities easily. I was shocked to discover after asking the council, that there is only one Changing Places facility in Gosport and Fareham, at Holly Hill leisure centre.
For many disabled children and their families life can be challenging and being able have use of a toilet in order to enjoy family days out doesn’t seem like too much to ask to me.
We currently attend the brilliant Rainbow Centre in Fareham and when I asked the parents what do they do, many said there only option was to lie their children on the toilet floor. These are children with medically complex conditions.
I wonder if you know of any plans to install Changing Places toilets in the area and what could be done to help families such as mine. ”